What You Need To Know:
* Friday, May 13, 11 a.m. – NCAA Tournament – Georgia State vs. Syracuse
* Winner advances to Saturday match at 3 p.m. vs. Florida-S.C. State winner
* Matches played on Florida campus in Gainesville, Fla.
“Sixty-four teams are starting all over again at 0-0 and what has happened before Friday doesn't count,” head coach Jason Marshall said.
That stark statement is totally accurate as the NCAA Women's Tennis Tournament starts this weekend with four teams at 16 different sites, each of the 64 teams knowing it is win and advance, lose and go home.
“We have checked off many of our goals for a conference championship, for national ranking, for wins, but for right now that means nothing,” coach noted. “Where either Syracuse or we are ranked now means nothing; it is only who wins the match on Friday that counts.”
Georgia State is 15-5 overall and on an eight-match win streak, not losing since back on March 19, some six weeks ago. Included in this run were three pressure wins in a conference tournament. GSU's memory bank of the season includes a win over No. 29 South Carolina on Feb. 13 and the Sun Belt championship win over No. 53 South Alabama. “The national ranking that doesn't matter” is No. 45 for GSU.
Syracuse is 14-8 overall and 6-2 since April 1 with both losses to No. 7 ACC foe Miami. The Orange have wins over No. 19 Wake Forest, No. 30 Virginia Tech and No. 35 NC State. They've lost to teams ranked 4, 6, 7, 9, 34, 42 and 55. Their level of play has been top flight. “The national ranking that doesn't matter” is No. 27 for Syracuse.
GSU played in the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and defeated No. 31 Tennessee. Two Panthers on that team are still playing with senior Linn Timmerman (Germany) and Tarani Kamoe (Fiji), so there is some leadership and knowledge of this pressure play. Syracuse is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament, so no player has ever competed in the national event.
With freshman Chiara Volejnicek out after a knee injury in the conference championship, GSU will alter its line-up a bit. Senior Linn Timmerman is at No. 1 with a No. 114 national singles ranking and a 13-6 season record. Timmerman won her NCAA match in 2014 against Tennessee at No. 3 and has 46 career singles wins as a Panther. Senior Niri Rasolomalala is the Panthers' hottest player as she enters the NCAA on an 11-match win streak and a 15-3 season record at No. 2. Freshman 17-year old Daniela Ramirez has the most wins with a 16-3 season mark and a 10-match win streak entering the NCAA Tournament as she plays now at No. 4. Sophomore Kristin Rehse plays at No. 3 and has a 12-6 season mark. Tarani Kamoe has stepped back into the No. 5 slot and has a 3-2 mark in singles and a 13-4 doubles record with Timmerman. Freshman Lara Vovk plays at No. 6 and has a 3-12 mark in her inaugural college season. GSU's roster is down to six players, so an injury would be devastating.
“Right now, we are focusing on what we can control,” Marshall said. “We can control our physical conditioning, our tennis serves, our individual eating and sleeping patterns and daily routines, so that is what we have done. Like the conference tournament and that pressure, we know mentally what is at stake and what level of play to prepare for. We are excited to be here and we are ready to compete.”
