Feb. 8, 2002
ATLANTA — The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team had to battle through nine grueling matches, but was able to win all but two of those en route to a 6-1 win over Iowa on Friday afternoon at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
“I’m very pleased with how our team played today,” said Tech head coach Bryan Shelton. “I thought that we were really fighting out there as was Iowa. I give Iowa a lot of credit because they kept fighting as well and didn’t give up on any match. We truly had to go out and earn every win we got today.”
The Yellow Jackets (3-1) opened the match by winning two of three doubles match-ups from the Hawkeyes (0-3) to claim the doubles point. Tech’s duo of Sekita Grant and Mysti Morris were victorious at No. 1 doubles, defeating the team of Toni Neykova and Denitza Alexandrova by an 8-6 score. The Jackets’ other doubles winners were the team of Jaime Wong and Laura Ozolins, who defeated Cassie Haas and Gloria Okino by a solid 8-3 score.
Iowa got on the board in doubles play as the team of Steffi Hoch and Pascale Veraberbeke handed Tech’s team of Catherine Gunn and Mason Miller their first loss of the dual-match season by an 8-5 score.
In singles play, Tech took command of the match, winning all but one match in singles play. Mysti Morris got things going at No. 2 singles, defeating Hoch in a tight three-set affair by a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 score. Morris trailed 5-3 in the final set, but battled back for the win.
At No. 3 singles, rookie Catherine Gunn remained perfect in dual-match competition, as she also needed three sets to defeat Alexandrova, claiming a 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory. Tech clinched the match at No. 4 singles when Sekita Grant rallied from a set down to defeat Veraberbeke. Grant dropped the first set by a 6-4 score, but came back, winning the next two sets in impressive fashion, 6-2, 6-1.
Laura Ozolins continued her winning ways, as she downed Jennifer Hodgman at the No. 5 spot in another three-set match. Ozolins won the first set with ease, 6-1, but dropped the second set by a 6-3 score before coming back to dominate the third set 6-1.
In the final singles match of the day, Fallon Koon also needed a third set to claim a win, as she defeated Okino by a 7-6, 3-6, 10-6 score. The third set was played as a 10-point tiebreaker.
“I think our team had fun with the battle today,” said Shelton. “We are off to a good start and this was a team that beat us last year. We’ve improved as a team and I think that really showed today.”
Georgia Tech will return to action on Sunday, when it hosts regional rival South Alabama beginning at 11 a.m. at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
GEORGIA TECH 6, IOWA 1 SINGLES 1. Toni Neykova (I) d. Jaime Wong (GT), 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 2. Mysti Morris (GT) d. Steffi Hoch (I), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 3. Catherine Gunn (GT) d. Denitza Alexandrova (I), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 4. Sekita Grant (GT) d. Pascale Veraberbeke (I), 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 5. Laura Ozolins (GT) d. Jennifer Hodgman (I), 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 6. Fallon Koon (GT) d. Gloria Okino (I), 7-6, 3-6, 10-6
DOUBLES 1. Grant/Morris (GT) d. Neykova/Alexandrova (I), 8-6 2. Hoch/Veraberbeke (I) d. Gunn/Miller (GT), 8-5 3. Wong/Ozolins (GT) d. Haas/Okino (I), 8-3
