Tennis teams serve notice with wins

The No. 34 Tech women's tennis team improved to 2-0 after defeating No. 41 Baylor 5-2 on Saturday. The Jackets were led by yet another strong performance by the standout freshman Kristi Miller, who improved to 25-3 on the season and moved into sixth place for wins in a single season at Tech. For her efforts Miller was named the ACC Women's Tennis Performer of the Week.

"I thought we played extremely well," said Head Coach Bryan Shelton. "I think that this year's team is a little bit different than in years past because the levels of expectations are a lot higher. I think that everyone is geared up for a great season. Baylor was a good test for us. They have a deep team as well. I thought that was a good win for our program."

Earlier in the day Miller and Alison Silverio, the No. 16 pair in doubles as ranked by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, clinched the doubles point for the Jackets with an 8-4 win. They defeated the Bears' Zuzana Cerna and Daniela Covello, ranked No. 9 nationally, to give the Jackets the first point of the contest.

"Most freshmen take a while to make the transition from junior tennis to the collegiate level, but [Miller]'s made that transition so quickly. She's adjusted in all facets of the college life, and she's playing some of the best tennis in the country. I thought it would take her some time. I knew that she was a great competitor in the junior ranks and also a very smart player. I thought it would take her a little while to see all of the other college players first and then she'd make some adjustments as she went along," Shelton said.

Miller, ranked No. 18 in singles play, defeated Baylor's No. 92 Zuzana Zemenova in straight sets. Miller won the first set easily, but she was unable to capitalize on the 5-2 lead in the second set. Zemenova fought back and tied up the match at 5-5 before the two foes traded sets to set up the tiebreaker. Miller finally won the match 8-6 and sealed the victory for the Jackets.

"[Miller] has really come out fighting and has a veteran mentality out on the tennis court," Shelton said. "I think the road is going to get tougher, and she will find some stiff competition as we go farther into our season. It'll be interesting to see how she deals with the tougher competition."

Dasha Potapova turned the match decidedly in the Jackets favor by defeating Klara Zrustova (6-3, 6-2). The senior recorded 100 victories in three years for Baylor before transferring to Tech.

"I think she was pretty fired up," Shelton said. "She didn't leave there on the best of terms. I think she was excited to come here to have the new opportunity with the new program, teammates and coaches. She's embraced every bit of it here at Georgia Tech. To see her go out there against her old team as hard as she did wasn't a big surprise. But to see how well she played under the circumstances, I think she definitely wanted to win the doubles and the singles, and she got the job done."

The week before, the Jackets opened up the season with a victory over rival Georgia State 7-0.

"I felt like we played well," Shelton said. "Last year they swept us in the doubles, but this year we aren't taking anyone lightly. I felt like we were ready for the challenge and played well."

Lyndsay Shosho and Kacie Anson won 8-6 in their doubles match with the Lady Panthers while the other doubles matches were won with decisive victories. Georgia State's Birte Kowling forced Shosho into three sets, but the junior closed out the contest with a win (6-3, 1-6, 6-4).

"Sometimes it comes that way," Shelton said. "The girls that were going up against her were ready to play."

In the other singles matches of the afternoon, all five other Jackets managed to record straight-set victories for the Jackets over the Panthers.

The Jackets will be taking the week off before traveling to Columbus, Ohio on Feb. 13 to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes.

"[Ohio State] is a good, solid Big Ten program," Shelton said. "We know that's going to be a good one. We are approaching the next couple of matches like a tournament. In a tournament you play each match one at a time, and we are looking at Ohio State being the first round of the tournament. The season gets gradually tougher as the season goes on before we get into ACC season. I'm looking forward to getting on the road and having our first road test."