Orange Knock Off No. 3 Georgia Tech for Biggest Win in Program History

Recap, photo courtesy of Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – In what proved to be a match for the record books, the No. 34 Syracuse Orange recorded their biggest win in program history, knocking off No. 3 Georgia Tech, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at Drumlins Country Club. The victory over Georgia Tech marked the first win over a top-10 opponent for an Orange team in program history.
 
The match came down to the first singles match between No. 9 Gabriela Knutson and No. 22 Paige Hourigan. Knutson fell behind 1-0 after dropping set one 2-6 but rallied from down in set two to take a 6-2 victory and send the match to a third and final set. The junior carried her momentum into set three, fighting for each and every point and ultimately finishing the match with four straight points in the sixth game.
 
"It was an amazing effort by the team, we talked a lot today about being solid and I couldn't be
prouder of them," said head coach Younes Limam. "Every point matters, at one or at six. Just seeing everyone play as a unit, starting in doubles and carrying into singles showed the team effort."
 
The tone was set early in doubles action as the teams battled back-and-forth in each match. The first singles duo of Knutson and Miranda Ramirez won the first match of the day for the Orange, a 6-2 win over the No. 1 doubles pair in the nation (Paige Hourigan and Kenya Jones).
 
A loss at second doubles for the Orange directed all the attention to court one where juniors Maria Tritou and Dina Hegab competed in the third doubles match. It seemed to be anyone's point as the teams traded leads throughout the match. Down 5-4, Syracuse won several critical volleys to complete the comeback and take a 7-5 victory, clinching the doubles point for Syracuse.
 
The Yellow Jackets took control early in the singles portion of the match, tallying their first point with a two-set victory at third singles. However, Tritou put the Orange back on top with a quick 6-2, 6-4 victory at fourth singles, marking her sixth singles win of the season.
 
On court six, Hegab worked her way to her 12th win of the season with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at sixth singles. The junior holds the second-best record on the team with a 12-3 mark (8-1 in ACC play) this year.
 
At second singles, Sofya Golubovskaya worked her way back from a 4-2 deficit in set two to force a tiebreak, but came up just short, 7-5 in the tiebreak, making it a 3-2 game with the edge going to 'Cuse. Similarly, Anna Shkudun forced her match into a second-set tiebreak but fell 5-7, 6-7(6).
 
"All those hours that the [team] puts in at practice and in the fall translates to a belief that the can win," said Limam. "They have played a high-level all year. We went into the match expecting to win the match and that has been the mentality since day one."
 
The Orange hit the road for a two-game swing in the Sunshine State, taking on Florida State on April 6 and Miami on April 8. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. and 11 a.m., respectively.