Wake Forest University
Tennessee
Deacs Fall to Vols During Day One of 2023 ITA Kickoff Weekend
1/27/2023 4:16:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Friday afternoon match was Wake Forest’s first ranked outing of the spring season.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Taking on its first major test of the 2023 spring campaign, Wake Forest women's tennis faced No. 22 Tennessee on Friday afternoon (Jan. 27) in the 14th annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Kickoff Weekend's opening day.
The Demon Deacons (2-1) gave collective effort but ultimately fell to the Volunteers (1-0) in a 4-0 sweep.
No. 27 Casie Wooten, Anna Brylin, and Brooke Killingsworth all competed against ranked foes once singles action unfolded.
Wake Forest moves to a 17-15 all-time record versus Tennessee.
The ITA Kickoff event wraps tomorrow evening, with the Deacs slated to go against Old Dominion in a consolation matchup.
How it Happened
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Doubles play began pretty evenly between the two schools, as No. 12 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth took a 3-1 lead on court one.
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Tennessee won in third doubles, 6-1.
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After letting up their fifth game, Brylin/Killingsworth rallied back to take a 4-2 lead.
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Splitting the next pair of games saw the duo's lead grow to 5-3.
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Nonetheless, the Vols captured a 6-2 decision in second doubles to secure the first point of the afternoon match.
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Brylin/Killingsworth went unfinished in first doubles, leading 5-3 at the time of play.
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Underway in singles, freshman Jingyi Li started set one strongly, quickly winning her first two games.
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Over in a ranked matchup against No. 68 Elza Tomase, Brylin also took a slight advantage early on in second singles, 2-1.
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Whitley Pate worked from behind to lead 3-2 on court five.
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Notching three more consecutive games, Pate soon became the first Deacon to grab a set in singles (6-3).
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Brylin battled through rallies to finish victoriously in her opening frame as well (6-3).
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The team captain got on a roll once stepping back onto the court, winning three straight games in set two.
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Pate saw her court enter a third set.
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Tennessee went up 2-0 in the match after picking up a win in fourth singles.
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Killingsworth nearly forced a tiebreaker in her opening period before falling in a 7-5 finish.
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A win in sixth singles stretched the Vols' advantage to 3-0.
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Tennessee put an end to the match with another straight sets victory, this one happening in first singles.
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Wake Forest fell, 4-0.
Doubles Results:
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No. 12 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth (WF) vs. Esther Adeshina/Rebeka Mertena (TENN) 5-3, unfinished.
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Eleonora Molinaro/Daria Kuczer (TENN) def. Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten (WF) 2-6
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Elza Tomase/Lauren Anzalotta (TENN) def. Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate (WF) 1-6
Order of Finish: 3, 2
Singles Results:
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No. 76 Rebeka Mertena (TENN) def. No. 27 Casie Wooten (WF) 2-6, 3-6
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Anna Brylin (WF) vs. No. 68 Elza Tomase (TENN) 6-3, 4-2, unfinished.
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Brooke Killingsworth (WF) vs. No. 55 Daria Kuczer (TENN) 5-7, 0-1, unfinished.
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Eleonora Molinaro (TENN) def. Nevena Carton (WF) 2-6, 3-6
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Whitley Pate (WF) vs. Esther Adeshina (TENN) 6-3, 2-6, 0-3, unfinished.
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Lauren Anzalotta (TENN) def. Jingyi Li (WF) 3-6, 1-6
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 1
From the Head Honcho
"It was a rough day," said head coach Jeff Wyshner. "We were really sloppy in doubles and Tennessee took full advantage, taking the momentum right into singles. I give credit to them – they are a good, more experienced team right now. Hopefully, we learned a few things today about what it is going to take to be successful. We will see tomorrow."
Up Next
Wake Forest will play in a consolation match versus Old Dominion on Saturday evening (Jan. 28) during the event's final day. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
4,6,1
Players Mentioned
