Wake Forest Athletics
Deacs Close Out Regular Season Against Maryland, BC
4/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 14, 2011
The Wake Forest women's tennis team will end its regular season at home with two matches this weekend. The Deacs (6-13, 0-9 ACC) will take on No. 30 Maryland on Friday at 3 p.m. and No. 51 Boston College on Saturday at noon. Both contests will be held at Leighton Stadium, weather permitting.
Fans are encouraged to come out early on Saturday as the Demon Deacons will honor seniors Emilee Malvehy and Martina Pavelec before the match as part of their Senior Day celebration.
Last Time Out
Emilee Malvehy defeated a ranked Virginia player for the second time this season, but the No. 18 Cavaliers claimed the rest of the singles matches and the doubles point to move past Wake Forest 6-1 on Saturday at the Snyder Tennis Center.
Malvehy earned the Deacs' only point of the day at No. 3 singles taking two tight sets against No. 84 Hana Tomljanovic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3). The win was her second over a ranked Cavalier this season after she took down then-No. 29 Erin Vierra when Wake Forest and Virginia squared off in a non-conference match in Winston-Salem in January.
Wake's top doubles team of No. 14 Kayla Duncan and Kathryn Talbert got back on track with an easy 8-2 win over Tomljanovic and Emily Fraser, but the Cavaliers picked up wins at No. 2 and No. 3 to earn the doubles point.
Senior Day on Saturday
The Demon Deacons will honor seniors Emilee Malvehy and Martina Pavelec before the match on Saturday.
Malvehy has been a mainstay in the Demon Deacon lineup since her freshman year, playing in 90 of 93 dual matches in her time at Wake Forest and totalling 112 wins. This season she earned the two best singles wins of her career, defeating two ranked players from Virginia. The Auburn, Calif. native will graduate in May with a degree in communication and a minor in entrepreneurship and social enterprise.
Pavelec has made a big impact in the Wake Forest lineup and has established herself as one of the top players in the ACC. A 2010 All-ACC honoree, Pavelec has been ranked as high as No. 24 in the national singles rankings. This season, Pavelec, who is currently ranked No. 36 in the country, has played No. 1 singles for the Demon Deacons in every match in which she has competed, posting a 20-11 overall singles record, including nine wins over ranked players. The native of Stuttgart, Germany has also excelled in the classroom, making the All-ACC Academic Team in 2010 and the Dean's List the last two semesters. She will graduate in May with a degree in economics and communication.
Shutting Down Leighton Stadium
This weekend's contests against Maryland and Boston College will serve as the final collegiate matches in Leighton Stadium.
Leighton Stadium opened in 1989 and played host to Wake Forest's greatest period of women's tennis success as the Demon Deacons dropped only five total ACC home matches in the nine seasons between 1994-2002. The Deacs were consistantly a top-15 team, and peaked at No. 5 in the country.
Next season, the team will move into the new 13-court tennis complex that is currently being built adjacent to BB&T Field to house the ATP's Winston-Salem Open.
Deacons in the Rankings
Wake Forest dropped a couple spots two No. 54 in the team rankings after last week's losses to Virginia and Virginia Tech.
The Demon Deacons have representatives in the singles and doubles rankings who have almost sewn up berths in the NCAA Individual Championships with the season drawing to a close. The Deacs' top doubles team of Kayla Duncan and Kathryn Talbert are ranked No. 19 in the doubles rankings, while Martina Pavelec is ranked No. 36 in the singles rankings. 64 singles players and 32 doubles teams earn NCAA bids.
Scouting the Terrapins
Maryland has put together one of its best seasons in recent years, putting together a 12-7 record and rising as high as No. 24 in the national rankings. Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar, Ana Belzunce and Jordaan Sanford have rotated through the top three positions in the singles lineup, each posting impressive dual match records. Sanchez-Quintanar is ranked No. 31 in the country. The Terp's top doubles team of Sanford and Sanchez-Quintanar is ranked No. 22 after notching a 17-2 record this season.
Scouting the Eagles
Boston College has also had a breakout season in 2011. The Eagles are ranked No. 51 in the ITA Rankings and enter the weekend with a record of 7-12, though they had dropped seven straight matches before defeating Boston University Tuesday. Katarina Gajic is BC's lone ranked singles player, coming in at No. 103 on the national charts.
What's Next?
The Demon Deacons will close out the 2011 regular season tomorrow with a noon match against No. 12 Boston College. Prior to the match, the Deacs will honor their two seniors Martina Pavelec and Emilee Malvehy as part of their Senior Day celebration.
Next week, Wake Forest will head to Cary, N.C. for the ACC Championships which will be held at Cary Tennis Park beginning on April 21.
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