Josipa Bek, Keri Wong Capture ITA Carolina Regional Doubles Championship

Oct. 24, 2011

FINAL BRACKETS CHAPEL HILL, NC – Top-seeded and top-ranked seniors Josipa Bek and Keri Wong successfully defended their Carolina Region Doubles Championship on Monday afternoon with an 8-5 win over third-seeded Ester Goldfield and Beatrice Capra of Duke in the Finals. With the championship, Bek and Wong advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships in Flushing, NY. “We were really proud of the doubles,” said Head Coach Nancy Harris. “They played some of their most solid tennis of the season, the fact that it was indoors gets them ahead of the game heading to New York. If they had gotten an automatic berth, they may not have had this chance to get ready, and I think they will be better prepared. They worked well as a team and were really having fun. We’re looking forward to their performance in New York.” “Jo and I played well the whole tournament. It wasn’t like one wasn’t play well, and the other was on. I felt like we were both on, and it felt good. I feel like we’re just now hitting our stride. It didn’t feel like ourselves in California last week, but this week it did. Jo and I want to win, it’s our senior year. I know its our last chance, but whatever happens happens.” The semifinals came down to the top four seeds in the 64-team draw, with Bek and Wong taking down fourth-seeded Haley Hemm and Lauren McHale of North Carolina, 8-3. Capra and Goldfield defeated Kayla Duncan and Kathryn Talbert in the semifinals on the other side to earn a spot against Bek and Wong. It is the second straight Regional doubles title for the Clemson duo, who finished as the runners-up at the 2011 NCAA Doubles Championships and opened the 2011-12 year as the number-1 doubles team in the nation. In winning the title, the Tiger duo is now 8-2 on the season, and Bek needs just three doubles wins to eclipse the school career record of 105, held by former teammate Ina Hadziselimovic. Last season, Bek and Wong advanced to the Finals of the ITA National Indoors, the ITA All-American Championships, and the NCAA Doubles Championships. Bek is the only six-time (three singles, three doubles) All-American in Clemson’s tennis history, and she looks to keep that streak alive as a senior. In singles action, junior Nelly Ciolkowski saw her five-match win streak snapped against McHale in the Finals. Ciolkowski was bidding to become the third Tigers in the last four years to claim the singles title, as Bek won the singles championship in 2008 and 2009. The fifth seed in the tournament, Ciolkowski upset 63rd-ranked Mary Clayton of Duke to get into the finals before McHale took her down, 6-3, 6-4 in the Championship match. “I was really happy for Nelly, because she grew a lot in this tournament,” said Harris. “She learned some very important things about herself and what she needs to do to win at this level. She showed tremendous courage and poise, and battled through some tough players.” The Tigers return home to host the First Annual Duckworth Family Classic before Bek and Wong travel to Flushing, NY for the National Championships from Nov. 3-6. Full ResultsDoubles:Thursday:Rd. of 64: Ciolkowski/Kochanova (CU) def. Chemaya/Yegorevchenko (CAMP), 8-4Friday:Rd. of 32: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) def. Jansaker/Khoury (Elon), 8-0Rd. of 32: Ciolkowski/Kochanova (CU) def. Beme/Stavreva (Elon), 8-2Saturday:Rd. of 16: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) def. Alkema/Garcia (WIN), 8-2Rd. of 16: Ciolkowski/Kochanova (CU) def. (5) Clayton/Mulholland (DUKE), 9-7Sunday:Quarterfinals: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) def. Kissell/Miller (NCSU), 8-4Quarterfinals: (4) Hemm/McHale (UNC) def. Ciolkowski/Kochanova (CU), 8-5Monday:Semifinals: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) def. (4) Hemm/McHale (UNC), 8-3Finals: #1 Bek/Wong (CU) def. Capra/Goldfield (DUKE), 8-5Singles:Friday:Rd. of 64: #8 Josipa Bek (CU) def. Erica White (G-W), 6-1, 6-1Rd. of 64: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Christina Riley (UNC-W), 6-0, 6-1Rd. of 64: #32 Keri Wong (CU) def. Ainhoa Diaz (WCU), 6-1, 6-0Rd. of 64: Monika Kochanova (CU) def. Christy Sipes (NCSU), 6-1, 6-3Saturday:Rd. of 32: #8 Josipa Bek (CU) def. Lauren Kline (FUR), 6-3, 6-2Rd. of 32: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Ryann Cutillo (WF), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4Rd. of 32: #32 Keri Wong (CU) def. Alex Whitehead (UNC-G), 6-1, 6-0Rd. of 32:  #104 Hanna Mar (DUKE) def. Monika Kochanova (CU), 5-1, ret. inj.Rd. of 16: Monica Turewicz (DUKE) def. #8 Josipa Bek (CU), 6-1, 7-6(6)Rd. of 16: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Nitooli Wilkins (UNC-G), 2-6, 6-3 6-0Rd. of 16: Lauren McHale (UNC) def. #32 Keri Wong (CU), 6-3, 6-4Sunday:Quarterfinals: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. Jaklin Alawi (USC), 6-2, 6-3Semifinals: #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU) def. #63 Mary Clayton (DUKE), 6-3, 6-2Monday:Finals: Lauren McHale (UNC) def. #83 Nelly Ciolkowski (CU), 6-4, 6-3