Clemson Doubles Fall In NCAA Quarterfinals On Saturday

May 23, 2009

COLLEGE STATION, TX – Ina Hadziselimovic suffered a three-set loss on Saturday afternoon, ending the Clemson duo’s run in the 2009 NCAA Women’s Tennis Doubles Championships. They were just the fourth team in school history to reach the quarterfinals of the national tournament, held this year at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center on the campus of Texas A&M University.

The Tiger tandem was edged by Tennessee’s 10th-ranked team of Natalie Pluskota and Caitlin Whoriskey. The Volunteer duo won the first set by a narrow 6-4 margin, but Bek and Hadziselimovic rebounded with a 6-3 victory in the second to force the deciding third set. The teams were tied at two games apiece and traded the next four games to be even again at 4-4. Tennessee held serve to go up in the set and then led 40-0 on Bek’s serve. The Clemson pair fought off three match points for deuce and held off another as the Volunteers took the advantage. However, the Tigers could not overcome a fifth match-point as Tennessee clinched the match, 6-4.

Although Bek and Hadziselimovic are only the fourth doubles team in school history to advance past the second round, with their run, a Clemson team has now reached the elite eight three straight years. In doing so, they earned All-America honors in doubles for the 2009 season and finished with a 17-8 record. Bek also earned All-America status in singles by earning a national seed and winning a pair of matches in the NCAA Singles Championships.

She and Hadziselimovic partnered to post an upset of Georgia’s sixth-ranked team in the opening round of the tournament and followed with a straight set victory over the duo from TCU in the round of 16 on Friday night.

With their loss, Clemson’s 2009 season came to an end. The Tigers finished with a 19-8 overall record and were ranked 11th in the final Campbell/ITA Tennis poll. Four Clemson players earned All-America honors as Bek and Ani Mijacika were awarded in both singles and doubles and Hadziselimovic and Keri Wong joined their partners as doubles’ recipients.

Bek/Hadziselimovic NCAA Tournament Results:Rd. 32; def. #5-8 Nadja Gilchrist/Chelsey Gullickson (UGA), 7-6(5), 6-3 Rd. 16; def. Macall Harkins/Anna Sydorska (TCU), 7-6(5), 6-4 R.8; lost to Natalie Pluskota/Caitlin Whoriskey (TENN), 4-6, 6-3, 4-6