Wake Forest University
TCU
Two Deacs Hit Milestones as Wake Tops TCU 6-1
3/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 7, 2011
FORT WORTH, Texas - Martina Pavelec's 50th victory as a Demon Deacon proved to be the clinching one as Wake Forest took down No. 75 TCU 6-1 in Fort Worth, Texas Wednesday afternoon.
"It was our most complete effort of the year," said head coach Jeff Wyshner. "While the final score was 6-1, it doesn't tell the whole story, because there were a lot of close matches in there. I'm proud of the way the girls fought to get a win in the first match of our trip."
Pavelec was not the only Deacon to hit a milestone in the match. Senior Emilee Malvehy earned her 100th career win at Wake Forest with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win at the No. 4 singles spot. Pavelec's 50th career win, which earned Wake Forest (4-5) its fourth point, came at No. 1 singles. The two earned their first victory of the day together, teaming up for an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles.
It was only fitting that both Pavelec and Malvehy got to celebrate milestones together. The two most-veteran members of the Wake Forest squad have also been the most consistent in singles this spring, tying each other for the team lead with six dual match wins. Their success so-far this season has made them the Demon Deacons' representatives in the ITA singles rankings, with Pavelec coming in at No. 45 and Malvehy at No. 118.
"Martina and Emilee have been very solid for us this spring, and I'm glad to see them reach those milestones," said Wyshner. "They both won tough singles matches today and showed that they can be counted upon when we need wins against good opponents."
The milestone wins were not the only storyline of the day, as junior Kayla Duncan returned to Fort Worth to win in both singles and doubles against her former team. Duncan played her first two seasons for the Horned Frogs, earning All-Mountain West Conference honors both years. The Winston-Salem native also earned the clinching point to give TCU the Mountain West championship last season.
The Deacons claimed the doubles point with wins at the top two positions. In a match that saw Duncan square off against her former doubles partner Katariina Tuohimaa, Wake's 17th-ranked duo of Duncan and Kathryn Talbert took down Tuohimaa and Federica Denti 8-4 at the No. 1 spot. Duncan and Tuohimaa finished last season ranked 27th nationally in doubles after reaching the second round of the NCAA Doubles Tournament.
Playing together at No. 2 doubles for the second consecutive match, Malvehy and Pavelec earned a clinching 8-4 win to give the Deacons a 1-0 lead.
Duncan came out strong against her former team in singles, easily defeating Idunn Hertzberg 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4 to extend the Wake Forest advantage to 2-0. The Deacons got their third point at No. 6 singles, where the Horned Frogs' Maria Babanova was forced to retire due to injury after taking the first set from Anna Mydlowska.
Pavelec clinched the match for Wake Forest at the top position, taking two tough sets from Tuohimaa 7-5, 7-5. The Stuttgart, Germany native now holds a 50-28 (.641) overall record in singles and doubles.
Ryann Cutillo was next off the court for the Demon Deacons, coming on strong in the final set to defeat Shalini Sahoo 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 at No. 5 singles. Malvehy hit the century mark for wins in the last match on the court, earning a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback victory over Federica Denti at No. 3.
The Demon Deacons will continue their trip through Texas on Wednesday when they face No. 32 Texas A&M in College Station at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Free live video and scoring for the match will be available on AggieAthletics.com.
For up-to-the minute Wake Forest tennis news, follow the Deacs on Twitter @WakeTennis or twitter.com/WakeTennis
#73 Wake Forest 6, #75 TCU 1
Singles
1. #45 Martina Pavelec (WF) def. Katariina Tuohimaa (TCU) 7-5, 7-5
2. Olivia Smith (TCU) def. Kathryn Talbert (WF) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
3. #118 Emilee Malvehy (WF) def. Federica Denti (TCU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Kayla Duncan (WF) def. Idunn Hertzberg (TCU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Ryann Cutillo (WF) def. Shalini Sahoo (TCU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
6. Anna Mydlowska (WF) def. Maria Babanova (TCU) 3-6, retired
Doubles
1. #17 Kayla Duncan/Kathryn Talbert (WF) def. Federica Denti/Katariina Tuohimaa (TCU) 8-4
2. Emilee Malvehy/Martina Pavelec (WF) def. Gaby Mastromarino/Olivia Smith (TCU) 8-4
3. Maria Babanova/Idunn Hertzberg (TCU) def. Brigita Bercyte/Ryann Cutillo (WF) 8-5
Match Notes:
Wake Forest 4-5; National ranking #73
TCU 1-5; National ranking #75
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2*); Singles (4,6,1*,5,2,3)
T-3h, 33m A-133
Players Mentioned
