Tech Opens ACC Play at No. 5 Georgia Tech

The Hokies square off against the Yellow Jackets on Friday, followed by a match at in-state rival No. 42 Virginia on Sunday

March 2, 2017

BLACKSBURG – The No. 48-ranked Virginia Tech women’s tennis team kicks off Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play this weekend, as the Hokies square off against No. 5 Georgia Tech on Friday, March 3, followed by a match at in-state rival Virginia on Sunday, March 5.

The match against the Yellow Jackets is set to begin at 3 p.m., at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta, Georgia, while the contest against the Cavaliers will start at noon, at the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"It's always exciting to start conference play," said coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Woods. "The team has done a great job preparing this week and have continued to show improvements in each match and practice. We can't wait to start ACC play this weekend."

Virginia Tech (7-2) and Georgia Tech (10-2, 1-0 ACC) will meet for the 19th time in program history, as the Yellow Jackets hold a 15-3 all-time series advantage. Last season, the Hokies pulled off a 4-3 comeback win over the Yellow Jackets on April 1, scoring four unanswered points in singles play to outlast Georgia Tech in Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech and Virginia (4-3, 2-0 ACC) also 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.

In its last weekend of non-conference competition, Tech bested Old Dominion in a 5-2 decision on Feb. 25 in Blacksburg, marking its third straight win of the season. Sansitha Nandakumar and Natalie Novotna claimed a 6-2 win in doubles, defeating ODU’s Borislava Botusharova and Marijana Novakovic at the No. 3 spot. Francesca Fusinato and Katherine Butler also defeated ODU’s Adriana Rajkovic and Natalua Malenko in a 7-5 tiebreak decision on court two. The Hokies then won four of six singles matches to seal the victory. Novotna and Caroline Daxhelet cruised to easy wins on their respective courts, while Fusinato recorded the game-winner with a three-set victory at the No. 1 spot.

Playing primarily at the No. 3 slot, Novotna leads the team in singles play with an overall record of 8-0, followed by Fusinato with seven singles wins on court one. Of note, Daxhelet is the lone Hokie ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Top 100 Singles Poll, checking in at No. 92. Additionally, the doubles tandem of Fusinato and Butler holds a team-best 5-2 record on the year.

Most recently, Georgia Tech opened ACC play with a 5-2 win over No. 36 Florida State on Feb. 26 in Atlanta, Georgia. As a team, the Yellow Jackets have recorded five wins over nationally-ranked opponents this season, including Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and UCLA. The Jackets also boast two singles players in the national rankings, as Rasheeda McAdoo and Nami Otuska sit at No. 71 and No. 102, respectively. In addition to two ranked singles players, Georgia Tech also owns the No. 7 and No. 30 doubles tandem in the country. Of note, Paige Hourigan and Otsuka each have a team best nine singles wins on the season.

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. UVA faced Penn in the first match of the day, claiming a 4-3 win over the Quakers. Virginia then returned to the court in the afternoon, defeating the Monarchs by a score of 5-0. In the ITA singles rankings, Cassie Mercer and Rosie Johanson check in at No. 48 and No. 66, respectively, with Mercer holding a team high 5-2 mark on court one. Chloe Gullickson and Mercer also sit at No. 40 in the ITA doubles rankings.

Live results for Georgia Tech and 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.

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