Wake Forest Athletics
Deacs to Face Wolfpack Thursday in ACC Championships Opener
4/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 21, 2010
Tournament Bracket 
2010 ACC Tennis Championships Website
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.-- The Wake Forest women's tennis team will begin play in the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Tennis Championships when they take on N.C. State Thursday at 9 a.m. The tournament is being held at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C., Thursday-Sunday.
The No. 53 Deacons received the No. 9 seed in the tournament after finishing the regular season with a record of 10-13 (4-7 ACC). The No. 41 Wolfpack is seeded eighth, and enters postseason play with a mark of 12-9 (4-7 ACC). N.C. State defeated Wake 5-2 in Raleigh earlier in the year.
The Deacs enter the tournament on a high note, after ending the regular season with road wins over Boston College and Maryland last weekend.
Senior Sasha Kulikova has been outstanding for Wake Forest this year, posting a 17-5 dual match singles record while playing at the top two positions, including a 7-3 mark in conference play. Sophomore Martina Pavelec has made an immediate impact since joining the lineup in late March, rising to No. 47 in the national singles rankings by virtue of her four wins over ranked opponents.
For the Wolfpack, No. 69 Sandhya Nagaraj has compiled a dual-match record of 12-9 while playing at the top spot in the singles lineup for most of the season. Senior Berkeley Brock enters the tournament on a four-match singles winning streak, with all of the wins coming against ACC foes.
Wake Forest in the ACC Championships
In last year's ACC Championships, Wake Forest was also seeded ninth and knocked off eighth-seeded Virginia Tech 4-1 in the opening round. The Deacons were shut out 4-0 by No. 1 seed Miami in the quarterfinals.
Since the ACC Championships changed to a dual-match format in 1986, Wake Forest has compiled an overall record of 33-24 in tournament play. The Deacons have never won an ACC women's tennis title, but have finished as runners-up 10 times, including seven consecutive years from 1995-2001.
Wake holds an all-time record of 4-1 against N.C. State in ACC tournament play, but the Wolfpack won the most recent meeting, defeating the Deacons 4-3 in the first round of the 2008 tournament.
2010 Championships Information
A ticket for admission to all the matches of the tournament can be purchased for 14 dollars for adults, and 10 dollars for seniors, college students and youths (age 9-17). Children 8 and under get in free. Single-day tickets cost seven dollars for adults, and five dollars for seniors, college students and youths.
In addition, the ACC is offering several ticket promotions. On Thursday, admission is free to all spectators from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Friday is USTA Day, and USTA members that show their membership card will receive two dollars off a daily ticket price or championship pass. On Saturday, Cary Tennis Park Annual Pass Holders receive complimentary admission.
Streaming video of Saturday's semifinals and Sunday's championship matches will be available on the championship website. For directions to Cary Tennis Park as well as other tournament information please visit Championship Central.
Players Mentioned
