Azuma/Whitaker Stay Undefeated While Tigers Drop to Georgia Tech, 4-1
Clemson, S.C. The Clemson men’s tennis team (5-7, 1-4 ACC) fell to ACC opponent Georgia Tech (7-5, 2-3 ACC) 4-1 on Friday at the Duckworth Family Tennis Facility. The two teams were tied for the No. 44 ranks in the nation heading into the match.
In doubles play, Spencer Whitaker and Ryuhei Azuma remained undefeated, earning the victory on line one 7-5 to advance to 5-0 as a pair. However, losses on Courts 1 and 3 ultimately cost the Tigers the doubles point.
Jorge Plans Gonzalez earned his second consecutive singles victory by a score of 6-4, 6-4 on court 5. Whitaker and Jacob Jahn were in the third set of their matches after winning both of their respective first sets when the Yellow Jackets clinched the win.
GREENSBORO, N.C. A 3-pointer from Weronika Hipp was off the mark as the final buzzer sounded, and Clemson came up short to Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday. After Destiny Thomas tallied a clutch steal with 16 seconds remaining, the Tigers had an opportunity to tie the Yellow Jackets on the final possession, but Clemson ultimately fell 60-57 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The Tigers (11-13) shot 40.7 percent from the floor, and the Yellow Jackets (15-7) accrued a field goal percentage of 46.3. Clemson made three shots from beyond the arc and corralled 32 rebounds, while Georgia Tech was successful on seven 3-point attempts and secured 34 boards. Defensively, the Tigers forced 15 turnovers, thanks in large part to their 12 steals. Also of note, Clemson scored 30 points in the paint and outscored Georgia Tech 12-0 in bench points.
CLEMSON, S.C. No. 1 Clemson (8-2-1) is set to welcome Syracuse (1-4-3) to Historic Riggs Field on March 7 for the first match of the Tigers’ spring campaign. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., while the match will be broadcast on ACCNX. Top-ranked Clemson returns to play after winning the 2020 ACC Tournament on Nov. 22 by defeating then-No. 1 Pittsburgh, 2-1. The victory secured Clemson its 15th ACC Championship and fourth ACC Tournament title, along with it being the 10th time in program history that Clemson had defeated the nation’s No. 1 team. Sunday’s match will be the 12th meeting between the Tigers and Orange, with Clemson leading the series, 4-3-4. Clemson took the series lead thanks to a 7-4 victory over Syracuse when the two teams last clashed on Oct. 19, 2019. The two sides first met on Nov. 1, 2013, and have played each season since. The most notable match in the series came on Dec. 11, 2015, when Clemson defeated Syracuse in penalty kicks, 4-1, during the semifinals of
CLEMSON, S.C. Outscoring Pittsburgh 39-26 in the second half, Clemson pulled away from the Panthers on Senior Day at Littlejohn Coliseum and won handily. The Tigers closed out the regular season with a 77-62 victory on Saturday, wrapping up an impressive 11-1 showing in home games this season. Clemson’s 10-6 record in conference play marks the Tigers’ best ACC winning percentage since the 2007-08 season.
Clemson (16-6, 10-6) was very efficient from the field, shooting 55.8 percent and knocking down 12 3-pointers. Pittsburgh (10-11, 6-10) finished with a field goal percentage of 44.4 and made nine triples. The Tigers outrebounded the Panthers 26-25, scored 16 points off Pitt’s 13 turnovers and dished out 18 assists. Additionally, Clemson outscored Pittsburgh 45-28 in bench points and 32-18 in points in the paint.