Wake Forest Athletics
Pavelec, Kulikova, Talbert Receive Bids to NCAA Individual Championships
5/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 6, 2010
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest women's tennis players Martina Pavelec, Sasha Kulikova, and Kathryn Talbert have been selected to compete in the NCAA Individual Tennis Championships, as announced on Wednesday evening. The tournament will be held May 26-31 at the Magill Tennis Center in Athens, Ga. Martina Pavelec will represent the Demon Deacons in singles competition, while the 22nd ranked duo of Kulikova and Talbert will compete in doubles play.
The tournament will mark the debut appearance for all three players in the NCAA Individual Championships.
As a sophomore, Pavelec earned All-ACC honors for the first time in her career. She began dual play with the team in late March, and entered the ITA rankings at No. 68 prior to her first match. Pavelec played in the top singles position for the remainder of the season, where she compiled an overall record of 15-9, including a 6-5 mark in ACC action. She notched key victories on the season against a pair of ranked opponents, including No. 32 Sanaz Marand of North Carolina and then-No. 42 Lindsey Hardenbergh of Virginia. The Stuttgart, Germany native is currently ranked No. 42 in the nation and is riding a three match win streak.
The doubles tandem of Kulikova and Talbert has found a great deal of success at the top of the lineup this season, as they have recorded an overall record of 11-6. The pair entered the rankings for the first time in early March at No. 44 and is currently ranked No. 22, their highest ranking on the year. The most impressive victory for Kulikova and Talbert came on April 14th against Duke, as they took down the 47th ranked team of Ellah Nze and Amanda Granson by a score of 8-3.
Kulikova was also an All-ACC honoree for the third time in her career, becoming only the sixth player in Wake Forest history to be named to the all-conference team for three consecutive seasons. Talbert will be looking to make a strong return to the doubles line-up in her freshman season after missing ACC Tournament play due to injury.
Eleven players from the Atlantic Coast Conference received bids to the 64-player singles draw, and five different teams will represent the conference in the 32-team doubles tournament.
