The women’s tennis team ended their regular season, sweeping both Boston College and Maryland at home to give Tech the top seed in the ACC championship. The women’s team had a 10-1 record in the ACC this season, with its only loss coming from Duke in mid-March.
On Saturday, Tech hosted Boston College in a match that was designated as “Aces for the Cure”. The girls sported pink jerseys during the match and looked to raise money to help find a cure for breast cancer through flat donations and donations per ace. By the match’s end, Tech posted 19 aces and raised just over $2,500 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
The team swept all three doubles matches and clinched the doubles point after senior Kristi Miller and freshman Sasha Krupina defeated Boston College’s Dasha Cherkasov and Lauren Cash with the score of 8-5.
In singles play, freshman Maya Johansson was the first to step off the court with a victory, giving the Jackets a lead of 2-0. Johansson posted two shutouts sets en route to a 6-0, 6-0 victory over her opponent, Gia Nafarrete.
After freshman Noelle Hickey downed her opponent 6-1, 6-1, sophomore Kirsten Flower clinched the match point for Tech 4-0 with a win over Boston College’s Alina Sullivan 6-2, 6-2.
Miller, sophomore Amanda McDowell and junior Christy Striplin each won their individual matches thereafter to finish off the day with a perfect 7-0 win.
The Jackets then faced Maryland on Sunday, at which both seniors Kristi Miller and Whitney McCray were honored in the last regular season match, highlighting their successful four years at Tech.
Since their arrival at Tech, the Jackets have won an NCAA title, two ITA National Indoor Championships, three ACC titles and a total of 90 dual matches. The day was highlighted with a successful win over Maryland 7-0.
As with the match the day before, Tech swept doubles in a quick bout to earn the doubles point.
Maryland won only one game in all of the double matches combined on Tech’s way to getting the first doubles point: Miller and Krupina won 8-1, McCray and Hickey won 8-0 and Flower and Striplin won 8-0.
In singles, Striplin was the first to finish, posting a shutout 6-0, 6-0 to give Tech a lead of 2-0. McCray was the next to step off the court with a score of 6-2, 6-2 over Maryland’s Maggie MacKeever.
Hickey clinched Tech’s win with a 6-4, 6-0 win to give the Jackets a score of 4-0. McDowell, Miller, and Johansson won soon after to finish off Tech’s weekend sweep. Over the weekend, Tech won each individual match without going into a third set.
The women’s team will travel down to Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. in hopes of winning a fourth consecutive ACC championship. They conclude their season and start the tournament on May 15. Tech’s top seeded team had a first-round bye in the ACC championship and will play their first match today against either N.C. State or Wake Forest. There are a total of seven teams in the ACC who are ranked in the top 40 and two more are in the top 75.
Following the ACC championship, Tech will enter the NCAA tournament with their No. 2 national ranking and see if they can repeat a National Championship that they achieved just one year ago. The Championship will be held in Tulsa, Okla.
The Jackets will be anchored again by McDowell, who goes into postseason play ranked No. 4 in singles play by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Miller ranks just behind McDowell at the No. 5 spot. Freshman Maya Johnson also cracked the top 40 with a ranking of No. 37.