May 10, 2012
Yellow Jackets Begin NCAA Tournament
Georgia Tech will begin play in its 13th consecutive NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament when the Yellow Jackets take on the Oklahoma State Cowgirls Friday, May 11 at the Baumgardner Tennis Facility in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The 2012 tournament also marks the 13th time the Tech women’s team has earned a spot in the NCAA field, all of which have come under head coach Bryan Shelton.
Beginning with the round of 16, the NCAA Championships will be held at the Dan Magill Tennis Center in Athens, Ga., May 17-22.
Individual Bids
Senior Jillian O’Neill and sophomore Alex Anghelescu each earned individual bids to the NCAA Championships to be held at the Dan Magill Tennis Center following the NCAA team championship. O’Neill was selected as an at-large bid to the singles championship, and was tabbed as a top 16 seed. O’Neill is 30-11 in singles play this year, has defeated 12 ranked opponents and ranked No. 11 in the latest poll. Her 30 wins lead the Yellow Jackets and she needs just two more victories to break into the Georgia Tech top 10 for singles wins in a year.
Anghelescu will team with O’Neill in the NCAA doubles championship. O’Neill and Anghelescu have played almost exclusively from the No. 1 position of Tech’s doubles lineup. The duo has a 13-10 record, including seven wins of ranked foes, and is ranked No. 23 in the latest poll.
Packing Bags
The Yellow Jackets are going on the road for NCAA First and Second Round matches for the first time since 2004, when they were also sent to an SEC school, Georgia. In the 2004 first round, Tech defeated #28 Alabama 4-0 before falling 4-0 to No. 5 Georgia.
NCAA Tournament Against Ranked
Georgia Tech has 16 all-time wins against ranked opponents in the NCAA Tournament. Of the three other teams in Tuscaloosa, both Oklahoma State and Alabama are ranked. The Cowgirls are No. 38 while the host Crimston Tide are No. 8 in the latest Campbell’s/ITA College Tennis Rankings.
First Round Success
The Jackets own an 11-1 all-time record in NCAA Tournament first round matches and has won 10 straight tournament openers. Tech’s only loss came in 2001 when the Yellow Jackets dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 30 UCLA in the Fresno, Calif., regional.
