Tigers Defeat Demon Deacons, Improve to 2-0 in ACC

CLEMSON, S.C. – The 14^th-ranked Clemson women’s tennis team won its second straight conference match on Sunday with a 6-1 victory over No. 51 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. With the win, the Tigers improve to 6-4 overall and 2-0 in ACC play, while the Demon Deacons fall to 8-3 (0-1 ACC).

Clemson’s 44^th-ranked duo of Joana Eidukonyte and Daniela Ruiz jumped out to a fast start in doubles, defeating their Wake Forest opponent at No. 3 by a score of 8-2. The pair is now 10-2 overall and 4-1 in dual doubles matches, and has won four straight contests. The nation’s number-one ranked team of Beatrice Gumulya and Jessy Rompies then recorded their 11^th win in a row, an 8-3 victory at the top doubles slot, to clinch the doubles point. The duo is an impressive 20-1 overall and 8-0 in dual matches. As a team, the Tigers have won the doubles point nine times in their 10 matches on the season.

In singles play, #23 Eidukonyte, #35 Romy Koelzer and #119 Gumulya each defeated their Demon Deacon opponents by a score of 6-1, 6-2, to clinch the Clemson win. With her win at number-two singles, Eidukonyte is now 20-4 overall and 7-1 in dual matches in 2014-15. Rompies, ranked 75^th nationally in singles, won 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5 and then Ruiz won her match at No. 6 in a super tiebreak (6-3, 3-6, 1-0(9)), to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead. After dropping her first set at number-four singles, Tristen Dewar came back to win the second set, forcing another 10-point tiebreak, in which she ultimately fell 10-4 to provide the 6-1 final margin.

The Tigers have two ACC road matches in the state of Florida this week. The team travels to Tallahassee on Friday, Feb. 27 to face #34 Florida State before heading to Coral Gables to take on the ninth-ranked Hurricanes on Sunday, March 1.

#14 Clemson 6, #51 Wake Forest 1

SINGLES1. #35 Romy Koelzer (CU) def. Kimmy Guerin (WFU) 6-1, 6-22. #23 Joana Eidukonyte (CU) def. Xue Zhang (WFU) 6-1, 6-23. #119 Beatrice Gumulya (CU) def. Andrea Retolaza (WFU) 6-1, 6-24. Samantha Asch (WFU) def. Tristen Dewar (CU) 6-3, 5-7, 1-0(4)5. #75 Jessy Rompies (CU) def. Luisa Fernandez (WFU) 6-3, 6-26. Daniela Ruiz (CU) def. Courtney Meredith (WFU) 6-3, 3-6, 1-0(9)Order of finish: 2, 1, 3, 5, 6, 4

DOUBLES1. #1 Gumulya/Rompies (CU) def. Guerin/Retolaza (WFU) 8-32. #59 Dewar/Koelzer (CU) tied Asch/Fernandez (WFU) 4-4, unfinished3. #44 Eidukonyte/Ruiz (CU) def. Forman/Zhang (WFU) 8-2Order of finish: 3, 1