Tennis competes in fall tourneys

Last weekend, the Tech women's tennis team continued their solid play during this fall season with a sweep of the singles and doubles championships in the ITA South Regional tournament. Playing at UGA, the site of last season's NCAA tournament, Amanda McDowell ended Kristy Miller's 17-game tournament win streak in the finals to take the singles title. Miller and Whitney McCray, the top seeded doubles pair, won the doubles title over familiar opponents in Miami's Romy Farah and Caren Seenauth.

Opening the tournament, the Jackets won six of their seven first round matches and five of their six second round matches. Top-seed Miller beat USF's Liz Cruz, 6-3, 6-0. Miller then lost a set against Miami's Romy Farah before finishing her off as well, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. Third seeded McDowell battled through her first round matches beating Florida State's Carolin Walter, 6-4, 6-1 and USF's Jannete Bejlkova, 7-5, 6-1.

Among other seeded Jackets were Christy Striplin who beat USF's Natalie Guevara, 6-1, 6-2, and Martina Nitkova of Georgia State, 7-6 (8), 6-1. Seventh seeded Maya Johansson beat FSU's Ana Rynarzewska, 6-2, 6-3 and Miami's Caren Seenauth 6-3, 7-5. Kirsten Flower, the last of the seeded Jackets, won her opening matches over Alabama's Tiffany Welcer, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, and beat UCF's Elvira Serrot, 6-3, 6-2.

The other opening round winner was freshman Noelle Hickey, who upset sixth seeded Monike Dancevic of UGA with a 6-7 (5), 6-0, 6-1 win. Hickey lost her second round match to Miami's Bianca Eichkorn, 6-0, 6-2. Eighth-seeded Whitney McCray was upset by Katie Rybakova of Florida State, 7-5, 6-4. McCray won her first round consolation match over Preethi Subramanian of Mississippi, 6-3, 6-0.

The third round featured Tech winning four out of five matches. Miler beat UGA's Cameron Ellis, 7-5, 6-4. Flower defeated another UGA opponent, this time Naoko Ueshima, 7-6 (3), 6-4. McDowell got through Auburn's Melissa Koning, 6-3, 7-5 and Striplin upset 12th ranked Diana Srebrovic of Florida, 6-4, 6-3. The only singles loss on the day was UGA's Kelley Hyndman beating Johansson, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles action started on the second day as well with two of the Jackets teams moving on to the second round. McCray and Miller were the top seed and beat Nika Koukhartchouk and Subramanian of Mississippi, 8-1. Flower and Johansson beat Georgia State's Martina Nitkova and Mateja Podgorsek, 8-4. The team of Hickey and Stripin lost to Miami's Farah and Seenauth, 8-4. In the second round, McCray and Miller beat Troy duo Annabelle Bares and Rawia El Sisi, 8-4; Flower and Johansson also advanced with a win over Kennesaw State's Madeleine Hakansson and Ayano Tanaka, 8-0.

Two Jackets advanced past the quarterfinals on the third day's matches. Miller got through teammate Flower to reach the semis with a straight set, 6-1, 6-1 win. McDowell beat Miami's Bianca Eichkorn, 6-4, 6-3. UGA's Hyndman beat her second straight Tech opponent; this time it was Striplin, who lost 6-0, 6-2. Both Tech players battled their way through the semifinals as well. Miller beat FSU's Rybakova, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5), while Mcdowell beat UGA's Hyndman, 6-1, 6-3.

McCray and Miller beat FSU's Rybakova and Jessica Wente in the quarterfinals, 6-1 (ret.). Johansson and Flower lost to Florida's team of Srebrovic and Whitney Benik, 8-1.McDowell defeated teammate Miller in the finals of the singles draw to win the title in a straight set win, 6-1, 6-3. Miller then joined McCray to win the doubles title over Miami's Farah and Seenauth, 8-5.

In men's tennis, the team was at Charlottesville, Virginia. David North returned to singles action this past weekend for the men's tennis team and Guillermo Gomez continued his excellent start. Gomez and North also competed together in doubles, winning their opening round match over David Guy and Grega Terez of Charleston Southern University, 8-2. Jose and Miguel Muguruza also won their opening doubles match over 10th seed Damon Gooch and Mason Schmermerhorn of Elon, 9-7.

In the early round singles matches, Gomez continued his excellent play defeating Citadel's Danny Dossetor, 6-2, 6-1. Jose Muguruza lost in the opening round to Clay Donato of UNC, 6-2, 6-2. Scott Blackmon and Ryan Smith dropped a tie breaker to 14th seed Enrique Olivares and Sebartian Serran of East Tennessee State, 9-8 (7).

In the second day of singles play, North defeated Bo Ladyman of Furman, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. He lost his third round match to Rok Bizjack of Clemson in a close match, 2-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4. Blackmon also won this second round match over North Carolina Stat's Derek Stephens, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Gomez was the only player to win both matches on the second day. He beat 5th seeded UNC-Charlotte's Roy Sichel, 7-6, 6-0. His third round match was a walkover win when Virginia Tech's Brandon Corace retired with a wrist injury after losing the first set to Gomez, 7-5.

Gomez continued his run with a fourth round win over another Virginia Tech player, Nicholas Delgado, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. Gomez lost in the quarterfinals though, in a close match to Virginia's 9th seeded Dominic Inglot, 7-5, 6-7, 7-5.