No. 48 Tech falls short in ACC opener

The Hokies dropped a 6-1 decision at No. 5 Georgia Tech to open ACC play

March 3, 2017

BLACKSBURG – The No. 48-ranked Virginia Tech women’s tennis team fell short in its Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) season opener to No. 5 Georgia Tech, 6-1, Friday afternoon, at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex, in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Definitely a tough match for us, but I am proud of the fight and attitude displayed by our team today,” said coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Woods. “We know there is another opportunity right around the corner for us on Sunday, and we’re keeping our focus ahead and will look to prepare for that one.”

The Hokies (7-3, 0-1 ACC) found themselves in a hole early after dropping back-to-back doubles matches on courts one and two, respectively, to surrender the doubles point to the Yellow Jackets (11-2, 2-0 ACC). On court one, Caroline Daxhelet and Elena Cerezo-Codina dropped a 6-1 decision to GT’s Rasheeda McAdoo and Johnnise Renaud – the No. 7 doubles tandem in the nation. Katherine Butler and Francesca Fusinato also fell to GT’s No. 30 Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones on court two by a score of 6-1 to give the Jackets a one-point advantage.

In singles action, Georgia Tech tallied three straight victories at the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 1 position to secure the win.

No. 92 Caroline Daxhelet fell to Jones in straight sets at the No. 4 slot (6-0, 6-4). At No. 5 singles, Nancy Ghanem dropped her match against No. 102 Nami Otsuka by a score of 6-3, 6-1.

The match-clinching point came at court No. 1, where Fusinato stumbled against Renaud in straight sets (6-3, 6-1).

Natalie Novotna captured the Hokies only victory of the day at No. 3 singles, as she beat No. 71 McAdoo in a three-set battle (4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4)) to record her ninth straight victory. Today’s win also marked her first victory over ranked opponent this season.

The Hokies will remain on the road and face in-state rival Virginia on Sunday, March 5. The contest against the Cavaliers will start at noon, at the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Virginia Tech and UVA (4-3, 2-0 ACC) will meet for the 41st time in program history, as the Cavaliers hold a 35-5 all-time series advantage. Last season, the Hokies dropped a 6-1 decision to the Cavaliers on April 10 in Blacksburg.

Virginia is coming off a two-week hiatus. In their last weekend of competition, the Cavaliers picked up a pair of non-conference wins over Penn and Old Dominion on Feb. 18 at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center on Old Dominion’s campus. In the ITA singles rankings, Cassie Mercer and Rosie Johanson check in at No. 48 and No. 66, respectively, with Mercer holding a team best 5-2 mark on court one. Chloe Gullickson and Mercer also sit at No. 40 in the ITA doubles rankings.

Live results for Virginia can be found at HokieSports.com.

Fans can follow all the action during each match of the 2017 season by following the squad on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Doubles Competition:

No. 1: #7 Rasheeda McAdoo/Johnnise Renaud (GT) def. Caroline Daxhelet/Elena Cerezo-Codina (Tech), 6-1

No. 2: #30 Paige Hourigan/Kenya Jones (GT) def. Katherine Butler/Francesca Fusinato (Tech), 6-1

No. 3: Nami Otsuka/Alexa Anton-Ohlmeyer (GT) vs. Sansitha Nandakumar/Natalie Novotna (Tech), 3-4 unfinished

Singles Competition:

No. 1: Johnnise Renaud (GT) def. Francesca Fusinato (Tech), 6-3, 6-1

No. 2: Paige Hourigan (GT) def. Elena Cerezo-Codina (Tech), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1

No. 3: Natalie Novotna (Tech) def. #71 Rasheeda McAdoo (GT), 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4)

No. 4: Kenya Jones (GT) def. #92 Caroline Daxhelet (Tech), 6-0, 6-4

No. 5: #102 Nami Otsuka (GT) def. Nancy Ghanem (Tech), 6-3, 6-1

No. 6: Nadia Gizdova (GT) def. Sansitha Nandakumar (Tech), 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-2)

Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,5,1,6,3,2)

For updates on Virginia Tech women's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WTennis