Jan. 27, 2002
ATLANTA — The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team showed no ill effects of its season-opening loss to fourth-ranked Vanderbilt and lost only one match en route to wins over Georgia State and Chattanooga on Sunday afternoon at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
“I think that the girls fell really good today coming into these matches,” said Tech head coach Bryan Shelton. “It’s always nice to get a win and to get two today is even better. I think the team started to relax quite a bit during the afternoon match and that showed in how we played. We have a very good team this year and now we have some time off to prepare for Iowa and South Alabama, two teams that beat us last year and will be good tests for us.”
In the day’s first match, the Yellow Jackets (2-1) got things going in earnest by sweeping all three doubles matches and claiming the doubles point on their way to a 6-1 final score. At the No. 1 doubles spot, Tech’s team of Mysti Morris and Laura Ozolins claimed a hard-fought win over Mojca Pavlinic and Klara Miklikova by a 9-8 score. The duo won the match in a close tiebreaker, by a 7-5 count.
At the No. 2 position, the Jackets’ tandem of Mason Miller and Catherine Gunn remained unbeaten on the year with an impressive 8-2 victory over Maria Sorenson and Jovana Kriskapa. Tech’s team of Kristen Roberson and Fallon Koon closed out doubles play with an 8-2 win over Karine Etienne and Rebecca Mitchell.
Singles play proved to be much like the doubles, as the Jackets won all but one match including four matches that were decided in straight sets. Freshman Catherine Gunn remained perfect in dual match competition, as she won at No. 1 singles over Pavlinic by a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 score. Sophomore Sekita Grant followed Gunn at No. 2 singles and recorded a 7-5, 6-2 win over Miklikova.
“Catherine Gunn is really riding a wave of confidence right now,” said Shelton. “It’s early in the year and she has really built up some momentum. I’m sure at some point this year she will have to deal with defeat, but right now she’s very tough to beat out there.”
Tech’s other winners in the day’s opening match included Miller, who downed Maria Sorenson, 6-1, 6-3 and Roberson, who defeated Etienne by a 6-4, 6-0 count. Fallon Koon was the Jackets’ final winner in the opening match, as she beat Mitchell at No. 6 singles by a 6-4, 6-0 score.
The Yellow Jackets returned to action in the afternoon and were even more dominant as they recorded a 7-0 win over Chattanooga. Tech once again won the doubles point by sweeping all three matches, as Morris teamed with Grant to defeat Cynthia Oulevay and Saskia van Velze by an 8-2 score, while Miller and Gunn picked up their third win in as many matches by downing Catherine Allen and Bethany Everett, 8-2. Koon and Roberson stayed perfect on the day as well, defeating Laura Henry and Charlotte Goude by an 8-1 score.
In singles play, Tech dropped only one set en route to a sweep of the individual portion of the match. Gunn was solid once again, downing Oulevay in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, while Grant picked up her second win of the day at No. 2 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Allen.
Mason Miller was victorious at the No. 3 spot, defeating Goude by a 6-0, 6-1 count and Roberson won her match at No. 5, 6-1, 6-0 over Stephanie Miles. Koon was the winner for the Jackets at No. 6, as she defeated Everett, 6-2, 6-2.
Perhaps the most exciting match of the day came in the No. 4 spot, as Tech’s Laura Ozolins bounced back from a defeat against Georgia State to down van Velze in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.
The Yellow Jackets will now have some time off before they return to action on February 8, when they host Iowa at 2 p.m. at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
GEORGIA TECH 6, GEORGIA STATE 1 SINGLES Catherine Gunn (GT) d. Mojca Pavlinic (GSU), 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 Sekita Grant (GT) d. Klara Miklikova (GSU), 7-5, 6-2 Jovana Krisikapa (GSU) d. Laura Ozolins (GT), 6-2, 6-1 Mason Miller (GT) d. Maria Sorenson (GSU), 6-1, 6-3 Kristen Roberson (GT) d. Karine Etienne (GSU), 6-0, 6-1 Fallon Koon (GT) d. Rebecca Mitchell (GSU), 6-4, 6-0
DOUBLES Morris/Ozolins (GT) d. Pavlinic/Miklikova (GSU), 9-8 (5) Miller/Gunn (GT) d. Sorenson/Krisikapa (GSU), 8-2 Roberson/Wong (GT) d. Etienne/Mitchell (GSU), 8-2
GEORGIA TECH 7, CHATTANOOGA 0 SINGLES Catherine Gunn (GT) d. Cynthia Oulevay (UTC), 6-0, 6-2 Sekita Grant (GT) d. Catherine Allen (UTC), 6-2, 6-1 Mason Miller (GT) d. Charlotte Goude (UTC), 6-0, 6-1 Laura Ozolins (GT) d. Saskia van Velze (UTC), 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 Kristen Roberson (GT) d. Stephanie Miles (UTC), 6-1, 6-0 Fallon Koon (GT) d. Bethany Everett (UTC), 6-2, 6-2
DOUBLES Morris/Grant (GT) d. Oulevay/van Velze (UTC), 8-2 Miller/Gunn (GT) d. Allen/Everett (UTC), 8-2 Koon/Roberson (GT) d. Laura Henry/Goude (UTC), 8-1
