May 21, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The second-ranked Irish duo of Kelcy Tefft and Kristy Frilling advanced to the second round of the NCAA Doubles Championships Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Georgia Tech’s Irina Falconi and Amanda McDowell.
Tefft and Frilling could not jump out to a significant lead in either set and were forced to battle their way to victory. The Irish were down 4-3 in the second set, before taking three straight games to clinch the match.
Tefft and Frilling will now face Tennessee’s Natalie Pluskota and Caitlin Whorisky in the second round on Friday. The Irish need just two wins to tie the single-season doubles wins record set by Tefft and Brook Buck a year ago.
In singles action, Frilling saw her season come to an end Thursday with a 6-3, 6-4 NCAA second-round loss to Clemson’s 14th-ranked Josipa Bek.
Frilling stayed within one point during the nearly all of the first set, before Bek won two straight games for the 6-4 win. Despite multiple rally points, Frilling could not come back in the second set. The Sidney, Ohio native was down 3-1, before pulling within one. After falling behind 5-2, Frilling took two games to close the gap to 5-4. Bek rallied in the last game for the win.
Frilling finished her singles season with a 30-10 overall record, earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and ITA National Player to Watch honors along the way.
Fans can follow Tefft and Frilling at the NCAA Doubles Championships with live video and stats at www.aggieathletics.com.
–ND–