Georgia Tech knocks Syracuse out of ACC Tournament, 4-2
Max Freund | Staff Photographer
No. 27 Syracuse (17-7, 8-6 Atlantic Coast) was defeated by No. 4 Georgia Tech (21-4, 12-2), 4-2, Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. After a 4-1 win over Pittsburgh on Thursday, the Orange was unable to pull off a second win over the Yellow Jackets this season.
The two teams met on April 1 at Drumlins Country Club, when SU pulled off its biggest win in program history, 4-3. Friday’s match seemed headed in a similar direction when the Orange grabbed the doubles point. SU won 7-5 at both second and third doubles to clinch the point. Playing without Dina Hegab, who suffered an injury Thursday, Syracuse’s Nicole Mitchell partnered with Masha Tritou to deliver a win at third doubles.
SU’s top pair of Gabriela Knutson and Miranda Ramirez battled the No. 1 doubles team in the nation, dropping the final two games to lose 7-5.
In singles, the Orange could not replicate the success of the last win over GT, when Knutson sealed the match in the final set. Tritou, Sofya Golubovskaya and Anna Shkudun all lost in straight sets, giving GT a 3-1 advantage on the scoreboard.
No. 4 Knutson defeated No. 12 Paige Hourigan 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 at first singles to pull the Orange within a point. In that moment, SU needed to pull out two third sets to win. Libi Mesh and Ramirez both battled deep into third sets.
Mesh rallied from 5-2 down at sixth singles to level her third set at 5-all. But Ramirez dropped the final two games of her match, losing 7-6, 4-6, 7-5.
Georgia Tech grabbed the fourth point, clinching its spot in the ACC semifinals. Syracuse now awaits its NCAA fate. The Orange, as a top-30 team competing for a spot in a competition of 64, will be in the field. SU’s opponent is yet to be determined.
Published on April 27, 2018 at 4:53 pm
Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo