Feb. 27, 2010
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The 14th-ranked Georgia Tech Women’s Tennis team (6-4) took the top three singles matches but fell to No. 7 Notre Dame (9-1), 4-3, Saturday afternoon at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
The Yellow Jackets lost two of three doubles matches to start the day down 1-0 to the Fighting Irish. Sophomore Irina Falconi and junior Sasha Krupina picked up the lone doubles win behind an 8-7 victory over Kristy Frilling and Kristen Rafael at the top doubles position. Falconi and Krupina moved to 8-2 in the dual-match season together.
“We just need to get out of the blocks a little quicker in these matches against these top teams,” head coach Bryan Shelton said. “We need to get all three doubles teams going early to catch some momentum. Northwestern will be tough tomorrow so we have to get back at it.”
Falconi, the nation’s No. 1 singles player, continued to impress with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over No. 23 Frilling to even the score at 1-1. The Tech standout is now 15-2 since September against ranked opponents.
Notre Dame stormed back by taking singles matches on courts six and four before sophomore Viet Ha Ngo defeated Chrissie McGaffigan, 6-4, 6-4 on court three to cut into the lead.
With the score at 3-2, the Fighting Irish would clinch the match behind Rafael’s 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over sophomore Lynn Blau at the No. 5 singles spot in the lineup. Krupina closed out the match with three-set victory at No. 2 singles.
The Yellow Jackets will close out their two-match road trip tomorrow afternoon against No. 2 Northwestern beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
-RamblinWreck.com-
