April 6, 2013
DURHAM, N.C. – The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team upset the No. 6 ranked Duke Blue Devils 4-0 on a picturesque Saturday afternoon at the Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham, N.C. The Yellow Jackets were able to hand the Blue Devils their first ACC loss of the season.
The Blue Devils are the highest ranked team Tech has defeated since the Yellow Jackets downed No. 1 North Carolina 4-3 on April 25, 2010, in the ACC Tournament. The win improves Tech, ranked No. 27, to 10-7 overall and 4-3 in the ACC while the Blue Devils fall to 13-4 overall and 4-1 in the conference.
“We competed well yesterday and had some bad luck, but North Carolina has a really good team,” head coach Rodney Harmon said. “I think we learned a lot yesterday. We were able to play against Duke today, who has a great tradition and a great team. They are a bit depleted with only five players which puts them in a hole. They have such a proud program and they have so many good competitors and good players that it was a bit of a dogfight.
“We were able to win the doubles point with a 9-8 tiebreak at No. 1 doubles,” Harmon added. “Muriel played extremely well at five for us. We were fortunate to have Kendal close out the match for us against a very good player in Mary Clayton, who is a senior. We’re happy to be able to get a split over here on Tobacco Road and head back home to face a very good Virginia team who upset No. 1 UNC and then a tough Virginia Tech team.”
Freshmen Kendal Woodard and Megan Kurey clinched the doubles point for the Yellow Jackets with a hard-fought 9-8 win over Hanna Mar and Mary Clayton at the No. 1 doubles position. Duke forfeited at the No. 3 position to give the Jackets two out of three wins.
The Blue Devils also forfeited at No. 6 singles to put Georgia Tech up 2-0. Junior Muriel Wacker downed Nicole Lipp 6-1, 6-0 on court five to put the Yellow Jackets up 3-0. Wacker improved to 11-5 this year with the win and the Zurich, Switzerland, native has now won five straight matches and seven of her last nine.
Woodard clinched the Tech victory with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Clayton, ranked No. 99, on court two. It was the 18th win of the year for Woodard, which leads the Yellow Jackets.
The Jackets will return to Atlanta for the final home weekend of the season when Tech hosts the Virginia Cavaliers at 12 p.m., Saturday, April 13 and the Virginia Tech Hokies at 12 p.m., Sunday, April 14. Both matches will be at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex, and are free and open to the public.
Fans are encouraged to follow Georgia Tech women’s tennis on Twitter, @GT_WTEN, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, GTWomensTennis, for an inside look at the program.
Georgia Tech vs Duke
Apr 06, 2013 at Durham, N.C.
(Ambler Tennis Stadium)
#27 Georgia Tech 4, #6 Duke 0
Singles competition
1. #19 Hanna Mar (DUKE) vs. #89 Elizabeth Kilborn (GT) 6-1, 1-1, unfinished
2. Kendal Woodard (GT) def. #99 Mary Clayton (DUKE) 6-3, 6-2
3. #94 Marianne Jodoin (DUKE) vs. Natasha Prokhnevska (GT) 7-5, 1-0, unfinished
4. Annie Mulholland (DUKE) vs. Megan Kurey (GT) 4-6, 1-3, unfinished
5. Muriel Wacker (GT) def. Nicole Lipp (DUKE) 6-1, 6-0
6. Jasmine Minor (GT) def. No player (DUKE), by forfeit
Doubles competition
1. #67 Megan Kurey/Kendal Woodard (GT) def. Hanna Mar/Mary Clayton (DUKE) 9-8 (7-3)
2. Marianne Jodoin/Annie Mulholland (DUKE) def. Elizabeth Kilborn/Muriel Wacker (GT) 8-6
3. Natasha Prokhnevska/Jasmine Minor (GT) def. No player/No player (DUKE), by forfeit
Match Notes:
Georgia Tech 10-7, 4-3; National ranking #27
Duke 13-4, 4-1; National ranking #6
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (6,5,2)
T-2:55 A-288
–RamblinWreck.com–
