EVANSTON, Ill. – Scarlett Nicholson and Kate Sharabura both picked up singles wins, but it wasn’t enough as Georgia Tech dropped a 4-2 decision at Northwestern on Sunday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets split a pair of weekend road matches to move to 4-3 on the season.
DOUBLES
Kylie Bilchev and Nicholson gave Tech the advantage in doubles play, winning the first match to finish from court three. The doubles pair jumped out with a 4-2 lead and held for a 6-2 victory over Neena Feldman and Maia Loureiro. But Northwestern took the final two matches for the doubles point and early lead. Competing on court two, Taly Licht and Sharabura led early against Erica Jessell and Sydney Pratt, 4-2. But the Wildcats responded to win the next four games and the match, 6-4.
With the doubles matches split, the decision for the point came down to court one where Alejandra Cruz and Given Roach battled Mika Dagan Fruchtman and Britany Lau. The opponents stood knotted at 3-all, but NU would go on to claim the next three games to clinch the doubles point with a 6-3 win.
SINGLES
Sharabura quickly tied the match at 1-1, cruising to a straight-set victory over Kiley Rabjohns on court four. The Yellow Jacket jumped out with a comfortable lead in the first and pocketed the set, 6-2. Sharabura would take the second set, 6-4, to seal the win and even the match at 1-all.
Tech would grab its only lead of the match when Nicholson downed Jessel on court two. After dominating the first set, 6-2, Nicholson and Jessel remained on serve at 5-5 in the second set. The two would force a tiebreak at 6-6 with Nicholson handling the breaker, 7-1, to give Georgia Tech a 2-1 match lead.
But it would be Tech’s only lead of the match as Northwestern won the next three singles matches to clinch the win, 4-2. On court five, Licht dropped a hard-fought match to Pratt, 7-6 (4), 6-3, that tied the match back at 2-2 before Northwestern gained the permanent lead with a three-set win on court six. Freshman Olivia Carneiro forced Autumn Rabjohns into a deciding third set, rebounding with a 7-5 second set win. But Rabjohns came out strong in the final set and took the match, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
The Wildcats sealed the win on court three where Lau pulled out a 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 decision over Roach for the final score.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 8, welcoming South Carolina to the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. First serve is slated for noon.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 42 Mika Dagan Fruchtman/Britany Lou (NU) def. No. 54 Given Roach/Alejandra Cruz (GT) 6-3*
2. Erica Jessel/Sydney Pratt (NU) def. Taly Licht/Kate Sharabura (GT) 6-4
3. Kylie Bilchev/Scarlett Nicholson (GT) def. Neena Feldman/Maia Loureiro (NU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3,2,1
Singles
1. Alejandra Cruz (GT) vs. Mika Dagan Fruchtman (NU) 6-1, 6-7, 5-5, DNF
2. Scarlett Nicholson (GT) def. Erica Jessel (NU) 6-2, 7-6 (7-1)
3. Britany Lou (NU) def. Given Roach (GT) 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3*
4. Kate Sharabura (GT) def. Kiley Rabjohns (NU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Sydney Pratt (NU) def. Taly Licht (GT) 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
6. Autumn Rabjohns (NU) def. Olivia Carneiro (GT) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
Order of finish:4,2,5,6,3*
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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