Wake Forest University
Clemson
Deacs to Open March at Home with Three Matches This Weekend
3/2/2023 11:42:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Conference play is soon to be in full slate for women’s tennis.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Having reached the month of March, Wake Forest women's tennis (8-5, 0-1) is set to start Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play this weekend with home matches hosted at its tennis center.
The Demon Deacons will firstly bring in Clemson on Friday evening (March 3) at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a Sunday doubleheader (March 5) featuring competition against No. 19 Georgia Tech at noon and a non-conference outing with Middle Tennessee at 4 p.m. ET.
Wake Forest is coming off a championship win in the 75th annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic, which was held this past weekend (Feb. 24-25) at Lagoon Park in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Deacs played their first ACC test at home versus nationally-ranked NC State last month on Feb. 17.
The Matches
Friday, March 3 – Wake Forest vs. Clemson – 5 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 5 – Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech – 12 p.m. ET
Sunday, March 5 – Wake Forest vs. Middle Tennessee – 4 p.m. ET
Fan Information
Admission to all Wake Forest tennis matches are free. Due to the Billy Strings concert tour that will be held at Lawrence Joel Veterans Coliseum this weekend (March 3-4), fans arriving for the matches are asked to not park in the Truist Field lots on Friday.
Last Time Out
7th annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic (Feb. 24-25, 2023)
Looking to start on a strong note in the 75th annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic, Wake Forest women's tennis (6-5, 0-1) did just that during day one (Feb. 24). After a weather delay led to the cancellation of doubles against the University of Tulsa (7-4, 1-0), the Demon Deacons routed the Golden Hurricanes in singles, leading to a 4-0 victory. The sweep was Wake Forest's third of the 2023 spring campaign.
Later in the evening, the Deacs again took the courts to face No. 32 Illinois in the semifinal round. Wake Forest continued to display serious grit, finishing on top in doubles for the match's opening point. The freshman duo of Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate came up clutch to clinch the decision in an up-for-grabs, tiebreaker fashion. Additionally, Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten won their fifth straight doubles showing.
The day's action then concluded for Wake Forest, as singles competition against Illinois took place during Saturday afternoon (Feb. 25). The team kept its momentum going through solo play, ultimately knocking off the Fighting Illini in a 4-1 decision for its first ranked match victory of 2023. Anna Brylin shined in another straight-sets victory for her second of the year over a ranked opponent. Pate and Brooke Killingsworth chipped in a win apiece.
Facing No. 47 Texas Tech in the title match, the Deacons again handled business in doubles firstly, as Brylin/Killingsworth and Ahmad/Wooten secured 6-3 and 6-4 wins, respectively. Battles throughout highlighted the championship bout before Carton secured the victory, 4-2, by defeating Texas Tech's Metka Komac in three sets. The other two victories went the way of Brylin and Wooten. For her efforts throughout the weekend, Wooten was named MVP of the event.
Having reached the championship for a fifth consecutive occasion, the Blue Gray Classic title win was Wake Forest's second in the last four years, as the Deacs took down No. 5 Princeton for the crown back in 2020.
Ranked Deacs
On Tuesday (Feb. 28), Wake Forest moved up nine spots to No. 29 within the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) team rankings – its highest mark of the spring thus far. Additionally, the Deacs continue to have three total individuals placed among the lists:
Singles
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No. 39 – Casie Wooten
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No. 49 – Anna Brylin
Doubles
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No. 20 – Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth
Milestones Reached
Last weekend in Montgomery featured a pair of milestones for Wake Forest. Playing a role in helping secure the doubles point over Texas Tech, Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth became the sixth Wake Forest pair all-time to reach 50 career doubles wins. The two already stand sixth on the program's list of duo wins.
In a solo win during the Blue Gray Classic championship, Brylin moved into a tie for the 10th-most singles wins in program history (86) alongside Emma Davis (2015-19). Currently holding over 150 combined singles and doubles victories, Brylin also recently moved to No. 22 on the all-time list during the team's match at South Carolina (Feb. 19), passing former teammate Anna Ulyashchenko.
Solo Standouts
In the midst of her final collegiate season, Anna Brylin has been on an absolute tear over the last few weeks, currently leading Wake Forest with an 11-1 singles record. The Short Hills, New Jersey, native has won her last four matches. Additionally, Brylin recently picked up two ranked wins, over No. 6 Sarah Hamner (South Carolina) and No. 102 Ashley Yeah (Illinois), in a week's span. Both such wins over a ranked opponent were Brylin's first in dual-match action this year.
Casie Wooten is also enjoying a standout spring, having played each of the team's 13 matches at the No. 1 singles spot while also holding the highest national ranking (No. 39) of all Wake Forest individuals. The savvy junior has picked up four wins over ranked foes and is tied for second on the team in total solo victories (7).
One of four freshmen on the roster, Nevena Carton has mainly operated at the fourth singles spot while appearing in each spring match. She is tied with Wooten for the second-most solo wins (7) and showcased a handful of big moments during the Deacs' title run at the aforementioned Blue Gray Classic, securing wins in all of her completed matches during singles play.
Series History
Versus Clemson
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Series: Wake Forest leads, 122-32
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Last Time: March 20, 2022
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Result: W, 5-2
Versus Georgia Tech
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Series: Georgia Tech leads, 23-20
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Last Time: March 18, 2022
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Result: L, 2-5
Versus Middle Tennessee
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Series: Wake Forest leads, 2-0
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Last Time: Jan. 22, 2017
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Result: W, 4-0
Scouting the Opposition
Having won seven of its last eight matches, Clemson is currently ranked No. 45 in the ITA team poll. Cristina Mayorova leads the Tigers in singles wins, having won 11 of her first 13 outings. Sophia Hatton stands unblemished in her own solo record (8-0), while Daniella Medvedeva is currently 9-1. As a whole, Clemson has seen its players piece together a collective 56-10 clip through singles competition this spring. In doubles, the pairings of Samantha Buyckx/Jenna Thompson and Hatton/Medvedeva have posted seven victories apiece. The Tigers are undefeated at home thus far (9-0).
Last week, No. 19 Georgia Tech won its first two ACC matchups – downing Notre Dame 5-2 (Feb. 24) before sweeping Louisville, 7-0, on the road two days later (Feb. 26). A few individuals hold national rankings:
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No. 14 – Carol Lee (Singles)
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No. 40 – Kylie Bilchev (Singles)
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No. 108 Mahak Jain (Singles)
All three of the aforementioned Yellow Jackets have tied for a team-best seven wins, with Lee being undefeated this spring. Bilchev and Alejandra Cruz have partnered in doubles for five victories.
Likewise to Clemson, Middle Tennessee remains perfect at home (6-0), standing at 8-3 overall. The Blue Raiders will play at Elon University on Friday (March 3) before the Sunday matchup in Winston-Salem. The team most recently suffered a sweep at Vanderbilt after winning eight contests in a row. Upperclassmen Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (7-3 in singles) and Noelle Mauro (7-4 in singles) pace the group.
Up Next
Wake Forest will have its first weekend of conference road matches next, heading to The Sunshine State to visit Florida State (March 10) and Miami (March 12).
Players Mentioned
