North Carolina State University Athletics
W. Tennis Drops Heartbreaker in NCAA Opener
5/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The NC State women's tennis team dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to No. 31 Auburn in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. The No. 39-ranked Wolfpack won the doubles point to open the match - including yet another top-15 win over a ranked doubles team for Alejandra Guerra and Daria Petrovic - but fell in the top-4 singles spots to the Tigers.
Guerra and Petrovic - ranked No. 24 nationally - defeated Haney/Koning of Auburn, 8-4, at No. 1 singles, the nations' No. 13-ranked tandem. to kick start the match.
Kate Green and Julia Roach won, 8-5, at No. 2 doubles to clinch the doubles point and Kristen Bleakley and Berkeley Brock were tied at 6-6 at No. 3 doubles when the Wolfpack prevailed.
Brock was the first singles players to fall, as Auburn's Koning won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.
Green then continued her strong play during her freshman campaign by winning at No. 5 singles, 6-1, 6-3, to give the Wolfpack a 2-1 lead.
That lead swelled to 3-1 as sophomore Neils Barringer took down Bybee a few moments later, 6-1, 6-2.
Auburn would make the decisive push in the end, as Hastenrath trimmed the lead with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Roach at No. 4 singles.
At the top-2 singles spots, all four student-athletes would battle to the end of the four-hour plus match with both duals going to three sets.
Guerra (No. 2 singles) and No. 95 Petrovic (No. 1 singles) each won their opening sets, but the Tigers' netters rallied back to take both matches and clinch the team point.
Guerra especially nearly sealed the possible Wolfpack win, as the second set went to a tiebreaker with Auburn's Haney winning 7-5 in the breaker to pull their match even.
Petrovic was facing the nation's No. 16 player and lost, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
NC State finishes it's season with a NCAA tourney bid for the second straight season and just the third time in school history.
#31 Auburn University 4, #39 North Carolina State 3
Singles competition
1. #16 Fani Chifchieva (AUB) def. #95 Daria Petrovic (NCSU) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
2. Alex Haney (AUB) def. Alejandra Guerra (NCSU) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
3. Melissa Koning (AUB) def. Berkeley Brock (NCSU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Jil Hastenrath (AUB) def. Julia Roach (NCSU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Kate Green (NCSU) def. Kelly Adams (AUB) 6-1, 6-3
6. Neils Barringer (NCSU) def. Heather Bybee (AUB) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #24 Alejandra Guerra/Daria Petrovic (NCSU) def. #13 Alex Haney/Melissa Koning (AUB) 8-4
2. Kate Green/Julia Roach (NCSU) def. Kelly Adams/Jil Hastenrath (AUB) 8-5
3. Kristen Bleakley/Berkeley Brock (NCSU) vs. Heather Bybee/Fani Chifchieva (AUB) 6-6, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,5,6,4,2,1)
