Oct. 18, 2006
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team will begin play in the 2006 Wilson/ITA Fall South Regional Thursday morning at the Alabama Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Alabama. All eight Yellow Jackets will compete in the “A” Singles Draw, while three of the four doubles teams will be participating in the “A” Doubles Draw.
The Yellow Jackets have had much success in the ITA South Regional competition in the last few years, as junior All-American Kristi Miller earned the title last season with a come-from-behind victory over Florida’s Diana Srebrovic in the championship match. This year, the Georgia Tech standout has earned the No. 1 seed in the competition, while Srebrovic is the tournament’s No. 2 seed.
Also earning top-16 seeds in the singles draw are juniors Alison Silverio (8) and Tarryn Rudman (12).
Miller will begin her quest for a repeat title Thursday at 8 a.m., facing UCF’s Kenza Belbacha in the first round, while Silverio meets a familiar foe in Miami’s Romy Farah, who formerly played at Clemson University, Thursday at 10:30 a.m. Rudman’s first match will be against Florida’s Csilla Borsanyi at 11 a.m.
All times are Central, and subject to change according to court and weather conditions.
Competing in the top half of the singles bracket along with Miller are newcomers Amanda McDowell, who will face Georgia’s fourth-seeded Natalie Frazier in the first round at 9 a.m., and Amanda Craddock, who meets the Bulldogs’ Adrienne Elsberry at 10 a.m., along with sophomore Christy Striplin, who will play Mississippi State’s Valeriya Makarycheva at 9 a.m.
Joining Silverio and Rudman in the bottom half of the bracket are sophomore Whtiney McCray, who meets USF’s Jessica Sweeting at 12 p.m., and freshman Kirsten Flower, who faces UAB’s Nischa Maier-Knapp at 11 a.m.
The Yellow Jacket duo of Miller and Silverio have earned the No. 2 seed in the “A” Doubles Bracket and will meet Auburn’s Whitney Chappell and Melissa Koning in the first round at 9 a.m. Friday. Craddock and McCray, winners of their first doubles tournament of the fall, were named the No. 8 seed in the “A” Draw and will meet Troy’s Annabelle Bares and Stephanie Vieira at 8 a.m. Friday in their first doubles match of the competition, while Flower and Rudman will team together this weekend, meeting Florida State’s tandem of Lauren MacFarlane and Nicola Slater at the same time Friday morning.
Striplin and McDowell have earned the top seed in the “B” Doubles Draw and have earned a bye through the first round of competition.
The tournament is scheduled to run through Sunday, with the finals of both the singles and doubles brackets taking play Sunday morning. Complete results for all of Georgia Tech’s participants can be found at www.ramblinwreck.com at the end of each day’s competition, while results for all competitors can be found at www.rolltide.com.
