Demon Deacons Wrap Up Carolina Kickoff

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The Wake Forest women's tennis team completed its first event of the championship season Monday on the final day of the Carolina Kickoff inside the Carolina Indoor Tennis Center.

The Demon Deacons opened the weekend with three doubles wins on Saturday afternoon. Senior Casie Wooten and sophomore Krystal Blanch won a close, 7-6(5) match over Hamner/Biran of South Carolina. Sophomore Whitley Pate and freshman Sankavi Gownder handled another South Carolina pair of Malkin/Kantor, 6-1, before senior Mia Ahmad and sophomore Nevena Carton defeated Martin/Reynoldson of Wisconsin, 6-4.

On Sunday, Ahmad picked up her second doubles win of the weekend, this time with sophomore Jingy Li, as the pair beat Martin/Garcia Gross, 7-6(5).

The duo of Pate/Gownder closed out doubles action on Monday with a 6-4 win over Auburn's Espsito Cogan/DeSpain.

In singles, Wooten grabbed her 13th and 14th wins over ranked opponents in her career. On Saturday, she took down No. 67 Maria Sholokhova of Wisconsin, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. She followed that win up with another comeback victory on Sunday, this time over No. 34 DJ Bennett of Auburn, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Carton notched her first-career victory over a ranked opponent on Monday, as she took down No. 76 Shahar Biran of South Carolina, 6-4, 6-2. Li followed that up with a 7-5, 6-1 win over South Carolina's Anna Kantor.

Saturday, Jan. 13
Doubles

Ayana Akli/Olympe Lancelot (SC) def. Brooke Killingsworth/Marcella Cruz (WFU) 6-2
Casie Wooten/Krystal Blanch (WFU) def. Sarah Hamner/Shahar Biran (SC) 7-6(5)
Whitley Pate/Sankavi Gownder (WFU) def. Misa Malkin/Anna Kantor (SC) 6-1
Mia Ahmad/Nevena Carton (WFU) def. Ava Martin/Ellison Reynoldson (WISC) 6-4

Singles

(No. 42) Casie Wooten (WFU) def. (No. 67) Maria Sholokhova (WISC) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Taylor Cataldi (WISC) def. Brooke Killingsworth (WFU) 6-0, 6-1
(No. 87) Xinyu Cai (WISC) def. Marcella Cruz (WFU) 6-4, 6-0
Alina Mukhortova (WISC) def. Nevena Carton (WFU) 7-5, 6-4
Ariel Johnson (WISC) def. Sankavi Gownder (WFU) 6-3, 6-4
Kaja Jacobson (WISC) def. Krystal Blanch (WFU) 7-6(5), 6-3
Ellison Reynoldson (WISC) def. Mia Ahmad (WFU) 7-5, 6-3
Rosie Garcia Gross (WISC) def. Jingyi Li (WFU) 6-2, 6-2

Sunday, Jan. 14
Doubles

Ahmad/Li (WFU) def. Martin/Garcia Gross (WISC) 7-6(5)
(No. 50) Sholokhova/Mukhortova (WISC) def. Killingsworth/Cruz (WFU) 6-3
Cai/Jacobson (WISC) def. Wooten/Gownder (WFU) 6-4
Cataldi/Johnson (WISC) def. Pate/Carton (WFU) 7-6(4)

Singles

(No. 42) Casie Wooten (WFU) def. (No. 34) DJ Bennett (AU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. Brooke Killingsworth (WFU) 7-6(4), 6-2
Kaitlyn Carnicella (AU) def. Marcella Cruz (WFU) 6-4, 6-1
Adeline Flach (AU) def. Nevena Carton (WFU) 7-5, 6-3
Ava Esposito Cogan (AU) def. Sankavi Gownder (WFU) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
Ali DeSpain (AU) def. Whitley Pate (WFU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4

Monday, Jan. 15
Doubles

Pate/Gownder (WFU) def. Espsito Cogan/DeSpain (AU) 6-4
Arseneault/Carnicella (AU) def. Ahmad/Wooten (WFU) 6-4
Bennett/Flach (AU) def. Cruz/Killingsworth (WFU) 6-1

Singles

Nevena Carton (WFU) def. No. 76 Shahar Biran (SC) 6-4, 6-2
Jingy Li (WFU) def. Anna Kantor (SC) 7-5, 6-1
Elise Mills (SC) def. Mia Ahmad (WFU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
Misa Malkin (SC) def. Sankavi Gownder (WFU) 2-6, 6-2, 7-5
(No. 4) Sarah Hamner (SC) def. Marcella Cruz (WFU) 7-6(3), 6-1
(No. 6) Ayana Akli (SC) def. Brooke Killingsworth (WFU) 6-2, 6-3
Olympe Lancelot (SC) def. Whitley Pate (WFU) 6-2, 5-7, 7-5

From the Head Honcho
"It was a great way to start the season. We had really strong competition that is going to help us be successful with the daunting schedule in front of us. We competed beginning to end, much better than we did here last year. Looking forward to Tennessee on Sunday!"

Next Up
The Demon Deacons will begin match play next Sunday (Jan. 21) in Knoxville, Tenn. in a double header against Tennessee and Bellarmine.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Mia Ahmad

Krystal Blanch

Nevena Carton

Marcella Cruz

Sankavi Gownder

Brooke Killingsworth

Jingyi Li

Whitley Pate

Casie Wooten

Wake Forest Athletics