No. 9 Texas Escapes No. 24 Jackets, 4-3 – Women’s Tennis — Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

AUSTIN, TEXAS – In a six-hour battle that contained a two-plus hour weather delay, No. 24 Georgia Tech battled No. 9 Texas for a spot in the NCAA Championship Sweet 16, but the Longhorns escaped with a 4-3 win. The match came down to the final point as the Yellow Jackets concluded the team portion of the season with a 14-10 overall record.

Doubles
It came down to the final court for the doubles point as the teams battled for an hour to decide the early leader. Competing on court three, Kylie Bilchev and Scarlett Nicholson made quick work of Taisiya Pachkaleva and Shachf Lieberman. After trading the first two games, the Yellow Jackets took a 3-1 lead. Bilchev and Nicholson extended their advantage and pocketed the victory, 6-2.

Texas evened the doubles field with a 6-2 win on court two as all eyes turned to court one where Carol Lee and Kate Sharabura faced Malaika Rapolu and Tanya Sasnouskaya. The Longhorns earned an early break to hold a 3-1 lead, but the Jackets continued to fight back. Trailing 4-5 with Texas serving, Lee and Sharabura went up 40-15 to hold a trio of break points. The Jackets extended the match with a break, setting up a 5-all standstill. But Texas held strong and won the next two games to clinch the doubles point with a 7-5 win.

Singles
Georgia Tech got off to a strong start in singles play, winning four first sets against the Longhorns. Sharabura was able to tie the match at 1-all before weather interrupted the match. Battling on court five against Pachkaleva, the opponents remained on serve at 4-all in the first set before Sharabura won a break to go up 5-4. The Jacket closed out the first set, 6-4, and carried momentum into the second set, opening with a 3-0 lead. The junior sealed the match win, 6-4, 6-2, to put Georgia Tech on the scoreboard.

Moments later, a quick downpour ensued, clearing the courts. Out of the delay, Texas wrapped up advantages on courts three and four to regain a 3-1 match lead, but the Yellow Jackets continued to fight. On court one, Lee pulled out a gutsy win over Sabina Zeynalova in straight-sets. After taking a 4-2 lead in the first set, Lee pocketed the opener, 6-3, and held a 4-2 lead when play was stopped due to rain. Out of the delay, Zeynalova won the next two points to even the set at 4-4, but Lee claimed the next two games to seal the win, 6-3, 6-4.

Bilchev tied the match at 3-3 with a three-set win on court two over Rapolu. The Jacket dominated the first set, 6-3, but Rapolu gained momentum in the…