North Carolina State University Athletics
Women's Tennis Kicks Off Fall Season
9/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 13, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State women’s tennis team will kick off its fall season this Friday at the University of Virginia Invitational in Charlottesville, Va. The Wolfpack team, which finished the season ranked No. 27 in the nation, features five returning players and two newcomers.
Leading the Pack will be junior Tatiana Illova, who enjoyed a breakout season in last year playing in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots. She tallied a singles record of 16-7, including three wins over ranked opponents, and went 13-8 in doubles in the spring. During the fall she boasted a 10-2 singles record. Illova’s campaign earned her a No. 114 national ranking in the 2011-12 NCAA preseason singles rankings that were released this week by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
NC State boasts one senior, Ashley Miller, who went 13-7 in doubles last spring. Junior Chloe Smith tallied a record of 4-4 in singles, and went 3-1 in doubles with partner Joelle Kissell during the 2011-12 season. Sophomores Kissell and Christy Sipes will look to continue the success that they had as freshman last season. Kissell compiled a 20-5 record in singles and topped two ranked opponents during the spring season, while going 9-3 in the fall. Sipes built an 11-5 singles record in the spring, and a 9-3 record during the fall campaign. The team features two newcomers, Elisha Hande and Sophie Nelson, both coming to NC State from England.
Illova and Kissell have also been selected to play in the prequalifying singles round of the 2011 Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships, which will take place Oct. 1-2 at UCLA.
