March 18, 2004
ATLANTA – Coming off a 7-0 win over Ohio State, the 39th-ranked Georgia Tech’s women’s tennis team hosts fourth-ranked Vanderbilt Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. and will then face Furman in a 10 a.m. match Saturday morning as part of a women’s and men’s doubleheader against the Paladins. Both matches will be played on the outdoor courts of the Bill Moore Tennis Center, weather permitting.
Vanderbilt comes to Tech’s campus owning a 13-2 record this season, and hold a 6-1 edge in the series against the Jackets. Tech’s only victory against the Commodores came two years ago when the Jackets downed Vandy, 6-1, at the Bill Moore Tennis Center. At the time of the match, Vanderbilt was ranked fourth in the country, the same ranking that the Commodores enter the match with this weekend. The Paladins of Furman entered a match against NC State Thursday afternoon with a 5-6 record and will travel to Atlanta to face the Jackets Saturday morning in a 10 a.m. match. Georgia Tech owns a 14-5 record against Furman and has won nine consecutive matches against the Paladins, dating back to the 1995 season.
“This is one of our best opportunities left this season to defeat a team ranked in the top 10,” said Tech head coach Bryan Shelton. “We learned a lot from the Georgia match last week, and close is okay, but we want to try to get it done this time. We are prepared to play and I think that the doubles will set the tempo in the match, as usual, so we need to come out strong in doubles play.”
The Jackets enter the match holding an 8-4 record this spring. Tech has earned four wins over teams that were ranked in the top-50, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and have wins over six teams that were ranked in the top-75. Tech is led this season by a pair of sophomores in Kelly Anderson and Lyndsay Shosho. Anderson has rattled off eight consecutive singles victories after beginning the spring 2-2, and owns a 10-2 record this dual-match season and leads the Tech team with 18 overall singles victories this year. Shosho, playing in the top singles position, has earned four wins over ranked players, including two over opponents in the top-10 in singles rankings, according to the ITA.
Also playing well in singles competition for the Jackets this season are seniors Maria Nieto and Sekita Grant and freshman Alison Silverio, as all three players have recorded eight wins in dual-match play. Silverio is tied for second on the team with 17 overall singles victories while Nieto and Shosho stand third with 15 wins on the year.
Rounding out play for the Jackets this season are sophomore Kacie Anson and freshman Lindsey Stauss. Anson teamed with Silverio in doubles play to go 1-1 in last week’s matches, including an 8-6 victory over Georgia’s combination of Frazier and Wink, while Stauss has been a steady performer in the middle of the singles lineup, with a 7-5 record this spring.
“Hopefully we will be able to have a good crowd to come out and support us in both matches, and especially in Friday’s match against a top-ranked opponent,” Shelton added.
Following this weekend’s matches, the Jackets will return to action next Saturday and Sunday when they host ACC rivals Virginia and Maryland.
