Tennis teams pick up wins on Sunday, women remain undefeated in the ACC
By Jamie Howell/ Student Publications
Kristi Miller is ranked No. 1 in the country for the second time in a row, as released April 4. Rankings come out every two weeks.
The men’s and women’s tennis teams both took part in ACC action over the week as the men hosted two events on campus, and the women traveled to Florida for a southern swing.
Going into their first match against Virginia, the No. 30 men’s team was riding a six-match losing streak, and were winless in the ACC. They were unable to derail their tough luck, as the Jackets fell to the No. 11 Cavaliers, 5-2.
The doubles pairing of David North and Marko Rajevac defeated the No. 18 team of Somdev Devvarman and Treat Huey, but the Jackets were unable to win the doubles point as Virginia took the other doubles matches.
In singles play, Marko Rajevac, Jordan Delass and George Gvelesiani all took their individual matches to three sets, but were unable to pull out wins and earn the points for Tech. Zachary Rath and North earned the only two points the Jackets tallied overall.
Tech was able to break through and pick up their first victory in the ACC and stop the eight-match losing streak as they dropped to No. 49 Virginia Tech, 5-2.
In their first ACC victory, the Jackets won the doubles point as Rajevac and North won their match 8-4 and Scott Blackmon and Rath won their match, 8-5.
In singles competition, Rath and North both won their matches in straight sets and picked up two points for Tech. Blackmon clinched the victory with a win in straight sets in the number six singles match.
Despite not having any singles or doubles players ranked nationally, the team as a whole is ranked No. 30 overall by the FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
Tech’s record now stands at 7-8 overall and the team is 1-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The men continue in ACC play as they play at N.C. State today and then play at Wake Forest on Sunday.
On the other hand, the women’s tennis team came into the week undefeated in conference play and were looking to keep it that way as they traveled to Florida to take on No. 5 Miami and No. 67 Florida State.
The No. 12 Jackets upended the Hurricanes for a 4-3 upset victory.
The match did not start well for Tech as the Jackets were blown away in the doubles session, losing all three matches. The No. 16 duo of Kristi Miller and Lyndsay Shosho was downed 8-1 by the No. 5 tandem of Melissa Applebaum and Audra Cohen.
The Jackets fought back to win four of the six singles points to comeback and take the match. Top ranked Miller faced the No. 3 singles player Audra Cohen and fell in straight sets, but she was picked up by her teammates. Shosho, ranked No. 51 overall, No. 61 Alison Silverio, No. 76 Kelly Anderson and Whitney McCray all took their matches in straight sets to lead Tech.
Tech continued the strong play against the Seminoles, as they defeated them 5-2 in Tallahassee, Fla.
Miller and Shosho got back on track as they won their doubles match 8-1. Coupled with a doubles win from Kacie Anson and Silverio, Tech took the doubles point.
In singles play, Miller and Silverio took their matches in straight sets to tally two points for Tech, while Christy Striplin won her match to give Tech the fourth point to clinch the victory.
Tech returns to the court tomorrow and continues its four match road swing as they travel to North Carolina to play against the No. 5 Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Tech will then travel the 11 miles to Durham to take on the No. 14 Duke Bluedevils Sunday.
Signing day for tennis is next week, and the Lady Jackets look to pick up three good athletes who have made verbal commitments to Tech. This recruiting class is ranked by some to be the third best in the country.
