Future looks bright for precocious Tigers

Clemson sophomore Romy Koelzer pumps her fist during action at the NCAA Championships on May 17 in Urbana, Ill. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

Women’s tennis makes Sweet 16 as only tourney team without an upperclassman

By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

URBANA, Ill. — Nancy Harris said her 2013 Clemson team was the youngest she has coached in more than 20 years in the business, and it was certainly the youngest to make the Sweet 16 of this year’s NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships.

That’s because it was the youngest in the tournament to begin with.

The only squad without an upperclassman on its roster in the entire 64-team field, the Tigers advanced through the regional rounds and quickly seized a 2-0 lead on No. 4 national seed Georgia by virtue of winning the doubles point and then Yana Koroleva’s 6-2, 6-0 demolition of sixth-ranked Lauren Herring before the Bulldogs rallied to stave off the upset, 4-2.

“When the going got really tough, Georgia did a beautiful job of making us play,” Harris said. “When you’re young and things get really tight, you’ll tend to overplay. And I think we did that today. We’d have the lead, and then we thought we had to do something special, instead of just continuing to break them down.” [Read more...]

Koroleva puts on dazzling display in Sweet 16

Clemson sophomore Yana Koroleva hits a forehand return during the NCAA Championships on May 17 in Urbana, Ill. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

URBANA, Ill. — Clemson may not have advanced beyond the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships this year, but the Tigers certainly proved they are plenty capable of competing with the big dogs on the national stage in their 4-2 loss Friday to Georgia.

No player made a stronger statement in that regard than sophomore Yana Koroleva, who teamed with classmate Beatrice Gumulya to beat the nation’s No. 1 doubles duo of Kate Fuller and Silvia Garcia, 8-3, and followed that up by dominating the nation’s sixth-ranked player, Lauren Herring, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0, to stake the Tigers to a 2-0 lead at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.

“It was good,” Koroleva said of her performance. “I didn’t know if I’d even be able to play two days ago because I had a (sore back), and now it feels great to be back on the court and perform at a good level.” [Read more...]

Gutsy Gumulya lifts Tigers into Round of 16

Clemson sophomore Beatrice Gumulya, center, is congratulated by teammates after her clinching victory against Vanderbilt in the NCAA Championships on Saturday at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Just after 1 o’clock Saturday afternoon, things looked bleak at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center, both literally and figuratively.

A sudden rain drenched the courts and halted Clemson’s second-round NCAA match against Vanderbilt with the host Tigers having dropped the doubles point and down a set in two singles matches.

But play resumed after a delay of nearly two hours, and No. 13 Clemson surged past the No. 19 Commodores for a 4-2 win that sent the Tigers into the NCAA Round of 16 for the eighth time in the last 10 years under Nancy Harris.

“They needed to go out and just be a brick wall, so to speak,” the Clemson coach said of the message she delivered during the hiatus. “They needed to let their opponents know that they were not going to go away, that they were going to make a stand and sort of defend their stadium. We talk about that — we want them to know that this is their home stadium, these are their home courts, this is where you never lose.” [Read more...]

From the Desk of Dan Radakovich

May 13, 2013

Hello Tiger fans!

I am headed off to the ACC spring meetings this week in Florida. In my next writing, I hope to have much content to discuss as a result of those meetings. In the meantime, I thought it would be appropriate to focus this space on the student-athletes that graduated from Clemson last Friday. I had the privilege to be on hand for each of the three ceremonies as part of the president’s administrative council. It was wonderful to see so many orange stoles, which are worn to signify student-athletes, in each ceremony!

I thought I would share the wonderful success stories of a few of them. In all, 49 student-athletes walked across the stage in Littlejohn Coliseum to receive their degrees from President Barker. (See complete list of 2013 spring graduates below). It was particularly heart-warming to see some of our student-athletes who returned to earn degrees several years after their Tiger careers ended. [Read more...]

Doubles play keys sweep of Colonels

Clemson's Yana Koroleva, left, and Beatrice Gumulya celebrate during their doubles win against Eastern Kentucky in the NCAA Championships on Friday at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — Romy Koelzer calls Clemson a “singles team,” and for that reason, says the Tigers remain confident even when they drop the doubles point in a match.

“But when we win it, oh my gosh, they better just go home,” she joked Friday.

Koelzer’s comment came shortly after Clemson made certain Eastern Kentucky did just that, eliminating the Colonels from the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships with a 5-0 sweep at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center.

The Tigers were so dominating in their win, their 12th straight in NCAA first-round action, perhaps the biggest challenge for the players was finishing quickly enough for their match to actually count. [Read more...]

Beyond Clemson: Wong wins first professional title

By Schuyler Easterling

One year after helping lead Clemson to an 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance and final Top 25 ranking, the accolades keep rolling in for All-American Keri Wong (2008-12).

On Sunday, Wong won the ITF Doubles Title in sundrenched Caracas, Venezuela, securing her first-ever professional tennis title with a 6-1, 6-2 win in the finals. Pairing up with Maria Fernanda Alvarez-Teran of Bolivia in the $25,000 tournament, the duo was seeded No. 4 in the 16-team doubles draw.

Taking the role of underdog throughout the tournament, Wong and Alvarez upset the No. 1 seed in the semifinals with a stunning 4-5, 6-3, (18-16) win in three sets to advance to the finals and nab the victory.

For Wong, her first season out of college as a professional has been nothing but a success. Since graduating from Clemson with a degree in management last May, Wong has stormed her way to a 13-6 overall record in the main draw of tournaments around the world. [Read more...]

Men’s tennis ready for postseason after stellar campaign

Clemson's Zachary Rigsby pumps his fist during the Tigers' match against Wake Forest on Sunday at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center. (Photo by Rex Brown/IPTAY Media)

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By Gavin Oliver

CLEMSON — The Clemson men’s tennis team rounded out one of its most successful seasons in recent history despite a 4-3 loss to Wake Forest at home Sunday afternoon at the Hoke Sloan Tennis Center.

Clemson (17-6) finished the regular season with 17 wins, the highest single-season total for the program since also recording 17 victories during the 2009-10 campaign.

Clemson suffered its meager list of six of losses at the hands of teams ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Poll, with three coming against teams that are currently in the top 10, including No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 Georgia.

The Tigers have defeated eight ranked teams to earn their stripes over the course of a tough 2012-13 schedule. [Read more...]

Student-athletes walk orange carpet for CLEMMYs

Boyd, Adeleye named top male, female athletes

Clemson football players, from left, Quandon Christian, Tajh Boyd and Chandler Catanzaro pose for pictures before the inaugural CLEMMYs on April 15 at Littlejohn Coliseum. (Photo by Dawson Powers)

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By Steven Bradley

IPTAY Media

CLEMSON — At most major award shows, the stars walk the red carpet and proceed into a ballroom where awards are handed out for the year’s best performances. That was also the case at the inaugural CLEMMYs April 15, only the stars were Clemson’s student-athletes, the carpet was orange and the ballroom was Littlejohn Coliseum.

The CLEMMYs were modeled after the ESPYs as a comprehensive year-end awards show encompassing athletic and academic achievement. They replaced the Athletic Department’s annual honor banquet, which was an academic-focused event where only student-athletes with at least a 3.0 GPA had been invited.

“It’s all about the student-athletes. This is a night for them to have fun and just get together and celebrate,” Assistant Director for Athletic Academic Services Lindsey Ricketts said. [Read more...]

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