CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (03/20/07) - Sophomore Martina Nitkova (Vratimov, Czech Republic) clinched the match winning point as Georgia State (7-7) women's tennis cruised past the Chattanooga 6-1 on Tuesday afternoon at the UTC Tennis Complex. That victory placed the Panthers at .500 for the season.
The match began with singles action and junior captain Mateja Podgorsek (Domzale, Slovenia) finished first with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at the No. 5 position. Junior Kiera Strickland (Roswell, Ga.) followed with a straight sets victory over Chattanooga's Kate Ksiezopolski.
After falling at the No. 1 spot, State picked up its third point at the No. 3 slot as Rachel Malina (Decatur, Ga.) defeated Beata Knizat. Nitkova clinched the victory with a 6-1, 7-5 win and Emma Stahl-Johansson (Sodertalje, Sweden) won a tough match over Bonnie Adams 7-5, 7-6 (4).
In doubles action, tandems Nikova/Strickland and Podgorsek/Brittany Smith (Toronto, Ontario) downed their opponents with equal scores of 8-3 to gain the double point.
“It was a solid match for the team,” commented head coach Lisa Belcher. “It is good preparation for our match against UNC Wilmington on Saturday.”
The Panthers will travel to North Carolina for a Colonial Athletic Association dual match with UNC Wilmington on March 24. First serve is slated for noon at the UNCW Tennis Complex.
Singles
No. 1 ? Anatasia Zhukova (UTC) def. Dariana Kozmina (GSU) 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 ? Martina Nitkova (GSU) def. Lindsey Ballard (UTC) 6-1, 7-5 *
No. 3 ? Rachel Malina (GSU) def. Beata Knizat (UTC) 7-5, 6-1
No. 4 ? Emma Stahl-Johansson (GSU) def. Bonnie Adams (UTC) 7-5, 7-6 (4)
No. 5 ? Mateja Podgorsek (GSU) def. Samantha Duggan (UTC) 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 ? Kiera Strickland (GSU) def. Kate Ksiezopolski (UTC) 6-0, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 1, 3, 2*, 4
Doubles
No. 1 ? Knizat/Ballard (UTC) def. Kozmina/Malina (GSU) 8-6
No. 2 ? Nitkova/Strickland (UTC) def. Adams/Duggan (UTC) 8-3
No. 3 ? Podgorsek/Brittany Smith (GSU) def. Celeste Nicholson/Ksiezopolski (UTC) 8-3 *
Order of Finish: 2, 3*, 1
