Brylin & Killingsworth’s NCAA Doubles Run Comes to a Close in Round of 16

ORLANDO – Once again headlining a night cap in the 2023 NCAA Doubles Championships, No. 24 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth of Wake Forest women's tennis played within the Round of 16 on Wednesday (May 24). The standout Demon Deacon duo competed hard against Southern California's No. 18 Eryn Cayetano/Maddy Sieg but ultimately fell in two sets and saw the end of its postseason run.

The Round of 16 appearance was a first for Brylin/Killingsworth, as the two picked up their highest ranked win of the spring during a first-round victory over No. 15 Raquel Gonzalez/Ayumi Miyamoto (Oklahoma State). The two Deacs have competed as a tandem in the event for the last three seasons.

Wednesday featured Brylin's final showing as a collegiate player. The two-time Wake Forest team captain enjoyed a handful of personal accolades through her five years in the program, including:

2022 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Doubles All-American (alongside Brooke Killingsworth)
Fourth all-time in doubles wins throughout program history (95)
2023 team leader in singles wins (18)
2022 All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Third Team selection
Teamed with Killingsworth to become the first Deacon doubles team to win an ITA All-American Championship on Oct. 10, 2021
Three-time ACC All-Academic Team pick (2019, 2021-22)
Two-time ITA Scholar Athlete (2021-22)

Brylin/Killingsworth traded with USC through the evening's first pair of games before dominating their fourth game to create an early 2-2 score. The next two games were split before the Trojans took its second lead of the first set (4-3). While the Deacs kept things closely played through each rally, USC nonetheless grabbed two lasting games to win the opening frame in a 6-3 decision.

The second set's first two games went to the Trojans. However, Brylin/Killingsworth had an answer in winning two of their own to tie the ledger (2-2). USC tacked on another pair of games in a row, while the Deacons steadied their fight, as Brylin made a key action to keep the period close, trailing 4-3. The two sides landed a game apiece before USC was able to complete the match on a victorious note in straight sets.

NCAA Championships, Doubles – Round of 16

No. 18 Eryn Cayetano/Maddy Sieg (USC) def. No. 24 Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth (WF) 3-6, 4-6

Anna Brylin/Brooke Killingsworth 2023 Spring Highlights

Partnering in doubles for the third year in a row, Anna Brylin and Brooke Killingsworth again formed one of the country's best duos, posting a 23-12 overall record in 2022-2023 while holding down the No. 1 spot in the lineup for Wake Forest.
The two held a top-25 ranking for the spring's entirety, moving as high as No. 10 within the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
Brylin/Killingsworth slid to fourth all-time in career wins as a tandem throughout program history.
- They are also one of four Wake Forest pairings to have recorded 60 or more victories.
  - Brylin/Killingsworth notched their 50th win on Feb. 25, during the Deacs' 4-1 decision over No. 32 Illinois for their first ranked feat of the season.
    - The 60th victory happened in the NCAA Doubles opening round (May 23).
A stretch from Feb. 25 to April 14 involved the duo winning nine of 10 completed matches.
- Six of the wins were against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) foes.
Brylin/Killingsworth opened the spring with a top-25 victory over Charlotte's No. 21 Margaux Maquet/Lucia Quiterio on Jan. 22 in the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.
The pair's other two ranked wins in dual matches also happened over opposing doubles teams resting within the ITA's top 25:
- (6-3) over No. 20 Patricija Spaka/Domenika Turkovic (Arizona State) on May 5.
- (6-2) over No. 22 Reese Brantmeier/Elizabeth Scotty (North Carolina) on April 8.
The two performed well at home, winning nine matches.

Brylin, Killingsworth Battle to Capture NCAA Doubles Round of 32 Victory (Tuesday, May 23)

Holding down a late-night tilt on Tuesday (May 23) for its opening round of the 2023 NCAA Doubles Championships, Brylin/Killingsworth finished with the upper hand in an electric, back-and-forth affair against No. 15 Raquel Gonzalez/Ayumi Miyamoto of Oklahoma State. Earning the win in three sets, Brylin/Killingsworth advanced past the event's Round of 32 for the first time in their Demon Deacon careers.

Brylin/Killingsworth additionally reached their 60th career win as a tandem during the night, becoming the fourth all-time Wake Forest pairing to notch such a feat.

Wake Forest has now sent a doubles pair or more to the Round of 16 in three of its last four appearances, as this is the third-straight bid for Brylin/Killingsworth.

Splitting their first two games to start, Brylin/Killingsworth repeated the same display to even the opening set at 2-2. The two sides continued to trade before Brylin slammed home a rally that put Wake Forest slightly ahead, 4-3. However, the Cowgirls had an immediate response to again tie things up twice more (5-5). Brylin/Killingsworth capitalized on several powerful serves to force a tiebreaker. Killingsworth would be the anchor in providing quite a few big plays en route to the Deacs escaping the first on a 7-6 (5) clip.

The two Deacs struck first in the second frame, creating a 2-1 advantage. Two more games in a row went their way before Oklahoma State was able to cut down the momentum, winning three consecutively and evening the margin at 4 all. Brylin/Killingsworth were able to take the following game but ultimately fell short, 7-5, as a 10-point match tiebreaker then unfolded.

Down 4-2 in the tiebreaker, Brylin and Killingsworth each took a rally to set an even score, 4-4, before the scoreboard resulted in a 6-6 mark. Poised play served the Deacons well down the stretch, ultimately winning the night in a final 10-7 decision.

Wooten Battles in First-Round Thriller (Monday, May 22)

Monday evening (May 22) saw Casie Wooten stepped in to act as the first Deac competing within the 2023 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships. The junior standout fought through nearly three hours of three-set action before ultimately suffering a Round of 64 defeat to No. 23 Carolyn Ansari of Auburn in the singles section.

Wooten's spring campaign officially came to a close, as she was Wake Forest's lone individual to participate in the bracket of solo competition. The Deacs have now had a singles player compete in the event in each of the last three seasons.

Monday included Wooten's first career appearance within the NCAA singles tournament. A year ago, she played a postseason showing in doubles alongside Samantha Martinelli.

Wooten split the opening games in her first set, eventually tying the margin at 3-3. She witnessed another tie through a following pair of games en route to delivering in two more to win 6-4 in her first frame.

After dropping the first three games in the second set, Wooten responded strongly by winning two of her next three. Nonetheless, the junior suffered a 6-2 defeat, as a third period of play was subsequently forced.

Mirroring her opening set, Wooten again split through her first two games. Having fallen short in the third, she captured two in a consecutive fashion to take a slight 3-2 advantage. Wooten then traded a pair of games and won another for a 5-3 edge. However, she next let up two games that resulted in a 5-all mark on the board. Stepping into a tiebreaker, she continued her fight on a few rallies but was unable to complete the victory.

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