March 21, 2008

No. 2 Georgia Tech Drops No. 13 Tar Heels, 5-2

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Christy Striplin teamed with Noelle Hickey to win, 8-6, at No. 3 doubles and then clinched match point with a straight-set victory at No. 4 singles to lead No. 2 Georgia Tech (11-3, 3-0 ACC) to a 5-2 win over No. 13 North Carolina (11-5, 2-1 ACC) Friday afternoon.

After Striplin and Hickey notched their victory, 50th-ranked Whitney McCray and Sasha Krupina knocked off Austin Smith and Sophie Grabinski, 8-3, at No. 2 doubles to give Georgia Tech a 1-0 lead in the match.

McCray pushed the Yellow Jackets' lead to 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against 95th-ranked Smith, 6-3, 6-3, before the Tar Heels notched their first point when No. 9 Sanaz Marand stopped Tech's fourth-ranked Amanda McDowell, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 1 singles.

No. 32 Kirsten Flower gave Tech a 3-1 edge when she downed Grabinski, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 5 singles spot, and Striplin defeated Laura Reichert, 6-2, 6-1, for the fourth and deciding point of the match.

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