No. 14 Carolina Blanks Wake Forest, 4-0
The Gamecocks qualify for ITA National Indoors with the win.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina women’s tennis team (2-1, 0-0 SEC) downed Wake Forest (3-1, 0-0 ACC), 4-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Carolina Tennis Center, claiming the title of ITA Kick-Off Weekend Champion and qualifying for ITA National Indoors.
No. 11-ranked Ingrid Gamarra Martins and Mia Horvit tallied the first win of the day for Carolina, 6-4, against Chandler Carter and Emma Davis at the No. 1 spot
With Wake Forest getting a win at No. 3 doubles, all eyes were on court two. No. 23-ranked Megan Davies and Rachel Rohrabacher took an early, 3-0, lead. The Demon Deacon’s duo of Mary Carolina Meredith and Eliza Omirou battled back and kept the match going back-and-forth.
The Gamecocks came back, tying it, 6-6, and sending the match to a tiebreaker. In a tiebreaker full of lead changes, Davies and Rohrabacher came out on top, 7-6 (8-6), claiming the doubles point for South Carolina.
“It was a great win (Sunday),” head coach Kevin Epley. “It got a little dicey toward the end, but we won all of our first sets, won the doubles point and we’re moving in the right direction. We always talk about three-quarters into a match, who steps up. We did a good job of stepping up (Sunday).”
No. 25 Cline got off to a quick start in singles, winning her first set, 6-2, against No. 105 Anna Ulyashchenko. Cline finished on court two by blanking the Demon Deacon and claiming her match, 6-2, 6-0.
Stretching the lead to 3-0, Carolina, Silvia Chinellato took her first set against Anna Brylin, 6-3. In her second set, Chinellato notched four-straight games to win at the No. 5 spot, 6-3, 6-4.
On court three, No. 69 Horvit won her first set, 6-4, opposite of Omirou. The Demon Deacon took the second set, 6-1, and sent the pair to a third set. Horvit started strong in her third set, going up 2-0 and not allowing Omirou a point in the first two games. Horvit eventually topped her opponent, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, claiming the match for Carolina, 4-0, and earning her second-straight clinching point of the weekend.
Doubles Results
#11 Gamarra Martins/Horvit (SC) def. Carter/Davis (WAKE) 6-4
#23 Davies/Rohrabacher (SC) def. Meredith/Omirou (WAKE) 7-6 (6)
#46 Brylin/Ulyashchenko (WAKE) def. Cline/Wicker (SC) 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Results
#12 Ingrid Gamarra Martins (SC) vs. #44 Emma Davis (WAKE) 6-4, 2-6, 4-1 DNF
#25 Paige Cline (SC) def. #105 Anna Ulyashchenko (WAKE) 6-2, 6-0
#69 Horvit (SC) def. Eliza Omirou (WAKE) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
Megan Davies (SC) vs. Saby Nihalani (WAKE) 6-1, 4-6, 3-1 DNF
Chinellato (SC) def. Brylin (WAKE) 6-3, 6-4
Rachel Rohrabacher (SC) vs. Chandler Carter (WAKE) 6-2, 4-6, 2-4 DNF
Order of finish: 2, 5, 3
