|
Women's Tennis Upsets No. 1 Georgia Tech
The win was the Tribe's first over a team ranked No. 1 nationally since the 1995 season.
02/10/07 11:45PM
Champaign, Ill. - On the strength of a gritty effort from sophomore Katarina Zoricic, the William and Mary women’s tennis team upset No. 1-ranked and USTA/ITA National Indoor Champion Georgia Tech, 4-3, in Champaign, Ill., on Feb. 10. It marked the first time since 1995 that the College defeated a team ranked No. 1 in the country. The 25th-ranked Tribe improved to a perfect 4-0 on the year and tallied the program’s third victory over a top-5 foe under the direction of head coach Kevin Epley.
“Obviously, we are excited about beating the No. 1 team in the country,” Epley said. “With so many freshmen and sophomores in our line up, it was a huge task, and I was impressed with the ladies’ ability to believe in themselves throughout the match. We started setting goals this week, and we want to be sure to focus on those goals throughout the season. We put ourselves in a position today and realized we were on the brink of beating the No.1-ranked team. I can't say enough about our team and the effort they put forth against one of the best team in the country.”
With the match even at three, Zoricic was not only locked into a battle with No. 25-ranked and reigning ACC Player of the Week Kirsten Flower of Georgia Tech, but fighting severe cramping in her legs as well. Despite cramping during the second set and battling the injury following every point in the decisive third, Zoricic clinched the Tribe upset claiming the three-set match, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2. With the victory, the No. 68-ranked player nationally improved to 17-5 overall, winning her 10th straight match.
The College opened the match by claiming the doubles point. The nation’s top-ranked team of Zoricic and senior Megan Moulton-Levy continued to dominate the competition at the No. 1 slot, defeating Kristi Miller and Whitney McCray, 8-4. The victory was the Tribe pair’s 14th straight and upped its season mark to 23-1.
After the Yellow Jackets pulled even in doubles with a win at the No. 3 spot, the freshman duo of Ragini Acharya and Magdalena Bresson continued to impress in the early pair of their W&M careers, clinching the vital point for the Tribe. The tandem defeated Georgia Tech’s Amanda Craddock and Flower, 8-6, at the No. 2 position. The win bumped the pair’s season mark to 6-1.
Georgia Tech claimed the No. 6 singles match to even the team competition at one. Acharya once again stepped to the fore front. The Pulaski, Va., native swept No. 95 Christy Striplin at the No. 3 slot, 6-4, 6-0, to give W&M a 2-1 lead. The win marked the Tribe rookie’s eighth straight as she upped her ledger to 13-4 overall. It was also Acharya’s first win over a ranked opponent during her W&M career.
Following another Georgia Tech win at the No. 5 position, Moulton-Levy gave the Tribe its third point with a win at the top spot. After dropping the first set, 6-2, to No. 15-ranked Miller, Moulton-Levy rebounded to claim the second set, 6-0, and the decisive third, 6-3. The No. 5-ranked player nationally improved to 17-4 in singles and a perfect 4-0 in dual matches this season.
Georgia Tech was coming off winning the USTA/ITA Indoor National Championship on Feb. 4 with a 4-2 win over Notre Dame. During its run to the title, the Yellow Jackets defeated four top-15 teams, including then-No. 1 Stanford in the semifinals. The victory over the Cardinal snapped Stanford’s NCAA record 89-match winning streak.
The Tribe will wrap up its three-match Midwest road trip at No. 35 Purdue on Sunday, Feb. 11. The contest is slated for 10 a.m. in West Lafayette, Ind.
#25 William and Mary 4, #1 Georgia Tech 3
Singles
No. 1 – #5 Megan Moulton-Levy (W&M) def. #15 Kristi Miller (GT) – 2-6, 6-0, 6-3
No. 2 – #68 Katarina Zoricic (W&M) def. #25 Kirsten Flower (GT) – 7-5, 5-7, 6-2
No. 3 – Ragini Acharya (W&M) def. #95 Christy Striplin (GT) – 6-4, 6-0
No. 4 - #82 Alison Silverio (GT) def. Magdalena Bresson (W&M) – 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
No. 5 – Amanda McDowell (GT) def. Barbara Zidek (W&M) – 6-3, 6-1
No. 6 – #52 Whitney McCray (GT) def. Carmen Pop (W&M) – 6-2, 6-3
Finishing Order: 6, 3, 5, 1, 4, 2*
Doubles
No. 1 – #1 Moulton-Levy/Zoricic (W&M) def. Miller/McCray (GT) – 8-4
No. 2 – Acharya/Bresson (W&M) def. Amanda Craddock/Flower (GT) – 8-6
No. 3 – Rudman/Silverio (GT) def. Lauren Sabacinski/Zidek (W&M) – 8-4
Finishing Order: 1, 3, 2*
|
Freshman Ragini Acharya defeated the first ranked opponent of her W&M career in the Tribe's upset of No. 1 Georgia Tech on Feb. 10.
|