THE FLATS – The 10th-ranked Georgia Tech women’s tennis team posted a successful 2021 campaign, finishing with a 20-11 overall record and an 8-5 Atlantic Coast Conference ledger. The Yellow Jackets capped the season in the NCAA Championship round of 16 in Orlando, Fla., after advancing to the 2021 ACC Tournament championship match in April. Four Yellow Jackets – Gia Cohen, Ava Hrastar, Victoria Flores and Kenya Jones – represented Tech in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, earning at-large bids to Orlando.
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
- Georgia Tech finished the season ranked No. 10 in the final Oracle/ITA National Rankings released on May 26. Tech climbed as high as No. 6 in the country in the Jan. 27 rankings.
- Georgia Tech recorded its 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, receiving an at-large selection as the overall No. 13 seed. The Yellow Jackets hosted one of 16 regionals at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex and topped Georgia Southern and North Florida in the first two rounds to secure a spot in the round of 16.
- The Yellow Jackets made their 11th overall appearance in the NCAA Championship round of 16. Tech faced No. 4 UCLA at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., but fell 4-0.
- Upending three ACC foes in tournament play, Tech made its seventh appearance in the title match of the ACC Tournament. The Jackets, which earned a first-round bye as the No. 6 seed, edged Virginia Tech (4-0), No. 4 NC State (4-3) and No. 24/20 Miami (4-3) to face top-ranked and top-seeded North Carolina in the championship match. Freshman Carol Lee picked up a straight-set win on court five, but it wasn’t enough as Tech fell to the Tar Heels, 4-1.
- Georgia Tech got its home slate started in January hosting three nationally ranked teams for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. Mahak Jain clinched a 4-3 win over No. 14 South Carolina in the first match to put the Jackets in the championship match against No. 6 Duke. Tech fell behind to the Blue Devils, 3-1, but rallied back to win four singles matches, clinched by freshman Ava Hrastar, to top Duke, 4-3, and secure a berth to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
- At the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Stillwater, Okla., Tech topped No. 10 Oklahoma State, 4-3, after falling to No. 9 Ohio State and No. 5 Pepperdine.
- The Yellow Jackets recorded their seventh 20-win season. Along the way, Tech topped seven top-25 programs.
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
- Georgia Tech was led by seniors Kenya Jones and Victoria Flores. The pair were nationally ranked in both singles and doubles all season. Jones climbed as high as No. 2 in singles rankings and Flores rose to No. 13. As a doubles team, the pair was ranked in the top five all season long, and spent two weeks as the No. 1 team in the country.
- Freshman Ava Hrastar joined Jones and Flores in the ITA national singles rankings. Hrastar broke into the poll on April 21 at No. 119 and climbed to No. 100 by May 5. Hrastar and doubles partner Gia Cohen were ranked top 25 since March 24.
- Georgia Tech was represented by two student-athletes in the singles bracket of the NCAA Championship as Victoria Flores and Kenya Jones earned at-large bids. Jones made her second appearance in the singles championships, while Flores made her first appearance. Both dropped hard-fought matches in the round of 64.
- The Yellow Jackets sent two doubles teams to Orlando to compete in the doubles draw of the NCAA Championship. Jones and Flores earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament and were joined by Ava Hrastar and Gia Cohen. Both teams fell in the opening round.
- Seniors Kenya Jones and Victoria Flores collected all-ACC honors to conclude their collegiate campaigns. Jones was named to the first team, while Flores earned second-team recognition.
- Being recognized for her work on and off the court, Flores was named a finalist for the 2021 ITA Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award. The award was created to recognize a recent college graduate who demonstrated excellence on and off the court, leadership on their team, as well as leadership on campus and in the community. The winner will be announced in June.
- Jones was named the ACC Player of the Week twice during the season. She picked up her first recognition after the season-openers and her second honor after going undefeated to open ACC play. Jones upset the second-ranked player in the country, Miami’s Estela Perez-Somarriba in three sets to hand the Hurricane her first loss of the season.
- Freshman Ava Hrastar got her collegiate campaign started by earning ACC Co-Freshman of the Week after the season-opening weeks. She picked up four singles victories and clinched Tech’s win over No. 6 Duke in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in the championship match.
- Jones finished the season with a 19-10 overall singles record, including an 18-8 dual mark and 9-2 ACC ledger. Flores capped the season at 19-7 overall in singles. She went 18-5 in dual play and 8-5 against ACC opponents. As a doubles team, Flores and Jones combined to go 23-4 overall. They went 8-1 against ACC foes and 21-3 in dual play.
- With a successful doubles season in 2021, Jones broke the Georgia Tech all-time career doubles mark. With 122 career doubles wins, Jones now holds the program record having topped Kristi Miller with 110 all-time doubles wins.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Support The Swarm Fund, which helps Georgia Tech athletics offset the significant financial challenges associated with Covid-19, and the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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