Wake Forest University
Boston College
Senior Day Highlights Deacs’ Penultimate Home Weekend Showings of Regular Season
3/30/2023 10:38:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Team veterans Anna Brylin and Maddie Lynch are set to be honored on Sunday.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Creeping into the final month of the 2023 spring regular season, Wake Forest women's tennis is back at home this weekend for the first time in nearly four weeks.
The Demon Deacons (12-8, 3-4) will first bring in the Eagles of Boston College on Friday (March 31) for a late-afternoon test. 'Senior Day' headlines Sunday (April 2), as Anna Brylin and Maddie Lynch will receive recognition for their contributions to the program prior to the team's noon tilt against Syracuse. Later in the day, in-state foe Elon University is set to arrive in Winston-Salem, rounding out the doubleheader.
Live stats and live streaming will be available for each match. Fans can also tune into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) CrossCourt Cast for the contests against Boston College and Syracuse.
Friday's showing will include a Mental Health Awareness theme. Admission is free for all home matches at the Wake Forest Tennis Center.
The Matches
Friday, March 31 – No. 27 Wake Forest vs. No. 45 Boston College – 4 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 2 – No. 27 Wake Forest vs. No. 28 Syracuse – 12 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 2 – No. 27 Wake Forest vs. Elon – 4:30 p.m. ET
Last Time Out
Friday, March 24 – Wake Forest 5, Louisville 2
A sense of eagerness was present among Wake Forest last Friday (March 24), as the team returned to match competition for the first time in 12 days. The result ended as an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) road victory for the Deacs over Louisville.
Friday featured the first true road win for the team in 2023.
Doubles competition brought great excitement to the match's first hour. Controlling the lead spot in a 6-2 finish, Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth ultimately tied with Chandler Carter/Emma Davis (2016-19) for fifth all-time in doubles wins throughout program history, currently at 54.
After Louisville snatched a win in third doubles, Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten put on an absolute clinic in the midst of a comeback, trailing 5-2. The junior tandem took five straight games, giving Wake Forest the doubles point in the process. Their total games won were the most in a come-from-behind doubles victory by a Deacon pair this year.
In singles, the Deacs got off to strong starts, paced by Brylin, Killingsworth, Nevena Carton, and Maddie Lynch.
Wake Forest is now 9-1 all-time against the Cardinals, having won the last nine meetings dating back to 2015.
Sunday, March 26 – Notre Dame 7, Wake Forest 0
Playing another outing out of state, Wake Forest visited Notre Dame this past Sunday afternoon (March 26). The host team ultimately protected its floor in a 7-0 sweep.
The match marked the end of a four-match road stretch for the Demon Deacons.
Nevena Carton forced two tiebreakers on Sunday, while Mia Ahmad made her fifth spring appearance in singles.
Thank You, Seniors!
Prior to the first match against Syracuse of Sunday's doubleheader (April 2), Wake Forest will recognize team veterans Anna Brylin and Maddie Lynch in a Senior Day ceremony.
The most experienced member on the Demon Deacons' roster, Brylin is in her fifth season with the program and has been a standout contributor over the years. A year ago, the Short Hills, New Jersey, native tied for the team lead in singles victories (16) while making 27 spring appearances en route to landing a spot on the All-ACC Third Team. This spring, Brylin leads Wake Forest in solo wins (13-3) while being nationally ranked as an individual for the first time in her collegiate career. This season has featured a handful of milestones for the graduate student. On Feb. 26, she moved into the program's top 10 in doubles wins, currently standing as the seventh player in program history with 90 victories. With 36 combined wins this year, Brylin now has 162 for her career, as one more will place her in the top 15 all-time at Wake Forest. The 2023 campaign has additionally seen Brylin win four solo matches over ranked opponents, primarily competing in the second singles position. That particular mark is already a personal best within a single season. Partnering with Brooke Killingsworth in doubles again for the third consecutive year, Brylin and her junior teammate are on a five-match winning streak, controlling a 10-4 overall clip. Off of the court, Brylin has made the All-ACC Academic Team three times in her Wake Forest tenure.
Now in her fourth year with the Black and Old Gold, Lynch has embraced a bigger role, mainly playing in sixth singles. She has impressed through multiple showings in crunch time – clinching match wins over nationally-ranked Georgia Tech and Middle Tennessee during a recent home doubleheader (March 5). A native of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Lynch led Wake Forest in singles wins during the 2022 fall slate, ending with an 8-2 record. Her standout moment involved a title win in the B2 Singles flight of the 2022 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Carolina Regionals, winning four total matches and securing the championship in a straight-sets victory over Zoe Huffman (UNC Wilmington). As a junior in 2022, Lynch was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete while appearing on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
The Wooten Way
Having acted as the Deacs' No. 1 singles player all spring long, Casie Wooten is closing in on 100 career wins combined through solo and duo play. She holds 98 currently, and is tied for second on the team in singles victories this season. Dating back to fall play months ago, Wooten has collected a team-best five ranked wins. The Torrance, California, native's role additionally involves being Wake Forest's highest nationally-ranked individual within the ITA Singles list for the year's entirety, currently at No. 41.
Ranked Deacs
Resting at No. 27 in the latest ITA team rankings (March 28), Wake Forest continues to maintain two ranked players in singles and one duo in doubles for the sixth straight week:
ITA Singles:
-
No. 41 – Casie Wooten
-
No. 52 – Anna Brylin
ITA Doubles:
-
No. 26 – Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth
Series History
Versus Boston College
-
Series: Wake Forest leads, 14-6
-
Last Time: March 27, 2022
-
Result: W, 6-1
Versus Syracuse
-
Series: Wake Forest leads, 11-4
-
Last Time: April 21, 2022 (ACC Tournament, Second Round)
-
Result: W, 4-1
Versus Elon
-
Series: Wake Forest leads, 6-1
-
Last Time: Feb. 13, 2021
-
Result: W, 7-0
Scouting the Opposition
Between the weekend's three opposing teams, two singles players hold ITA rankings:
-
No. 71 – Maria Aguiar (Boston College)
-
No. 95 – Zeynep Erman (Syracuse)
Boston College is 9-8 overall on the year after dropping a pair of showings last weekend. The Eagles have gone 2-7 in conference play.
Syracuse visits No. 8 NC State on Friday before Sunday's meeting. The Orange are 11-5 overall, having won four conference matches. Three players have recorded 10 or more solo wins during the course of the spring.
Elon has stayed hot in winning eight of its last nine matches, steadying a 13-4 clip. The Phoenix are 9-1 at home this year, while splitting in six true road matches. Olivia Archer is on a 10-match winning streak in singles and 13-2 thus far in the spring. Sibel Tanik and Julie Ball have added 11 and 10 solo wins, respectively. In doubles, Tanik and Lizette Reding have teamed up for nine victories, all happening at the No. 1 spot.
Up Next
Wake Forest will face two Big Four foes on the road next week, traveling to Duke (April 6) and North Carolina (April 8).
Players Mentioned
