NC State Wolfpack

Oct. 27, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The NC State women’s tennis team completed the second day of the Lady Vol Classic, Saturday, as junior and 19th-ranked Joelle Kissell and sophomore Elisha Hande collected singles victories against Kentucky, while a pair of Wolfpack doubles teams collected victories against host Tennessee.

The Pack opened the morning with a series of non-dual singles matches with the Wildcats, as No. 19 Kissell rallied back from a 6-4 defeat in the first set, to win the final two sets, 6-4 and 6-0, over Nadia Ravita. Hande met Kirsten Lewis in her singles matchup, and cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

NC State was less fortunate in its four additional singles matches, as senior Chloe Smith came up on the short end of a tough three-set battle, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1, to Stephanie Fox. Freshman Rachael James-Baker dropped the first set, 6-2, in her match against Khristina Blajkevitch, and nearly forced a third set, but fell 7-6 (5) in the second.

Sophomore Nicole Martinez was downed, 6-4, 6-0, by Jessica Stiles, and junior Christy Sipes was outlasted by Caitlin McGraw, 6-1, 6-3, to close out singles action for the Wolfpack.

The afternoon consisted of three doubles matches against the Volunteers, who swept NC State in singles just one evening prior. Saturday was a different story, and the Pack got the last laugh, as Smith and James-Baker eased their way to an 8-3 win over Sara Toti and Mimi Fotopoulos, while Martinez and Hande bested Caitlyn Williams and Joanna Henderson, 8-6. The Wolfpack would only take two-of-three however, as Tennessee’s Brynn Boren and Kata Szekely defeated Kissell and sophomore Sophie Nelson, 8-1.

The Pack will conclude play in Knoxville on Sunday, Oct. 28, with non-dual singles matches against Ohio State at 10 a.m., followed by three doubles matches against Kentucky scheduled for 1 p.m.

Lady Vol Classic
Day 2
Singles
NC State vs. Kentucky
1. #19 Joelle Kissell, NC State, def. Nadia Ravita, UK, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
2. Jessica Stiles, UK, def. Nicole Martinez, NC State, 6-4, 6-0
3. Elisha Hande, NC State, def. Kirsten Lewis, UK, 6-1, 6-2
4. Caitlin McGraw, UK, def. Christy Sipes, NC State, 6-1, 6-3
5. Khristina Blajkevitch, UK, def. Rachael James-Baker, NC State, 6-2, 7-6 (5)
6. Stephanie Fox, UK, def. Chloe Smith, NC State, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1

Doubles
Tennessee vs. NC State
1. Brynn Boren/Kata Szekely, UT, def. Joelle Kissell/Sophie Nelson, NCSU, 8-1
2. Nicole Martinez/Elisha Hande, NCSU, def. Caitlyn Williams/Joanna Henderson, UT, 8-6
3. Chloe Smith/Rachael James-Baker, NCSU, def. Sara Toti/Mimi Fotopoulos, UT, 8-3