Carol undefeated in Furman Fall Classic

Georgia Tech’s Carol Lee, left, poses with the rest of her teammates after a sterling run in last weekend’s Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic in Greenville, S.C. (Contributed photo)

Carol Lee and the rest of her teammates at Georgia Tech started the season on a high note after going undefeated in both the singles and doubles competition of last weekend’s Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic in Greenville, S.C.

Lee won all her matches to take home the flight four championship after rolling to a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Furman’s Sara Snyder. Three Yellow Jackets finished the tournament undefeated in both singles and doubles and in all the team won five singles flight titles.

The many-time NMSA Students Athlete of the Year and 2016 Pacific Games gold medalist said the Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic was a great way to have their feet wet going into the 2021-2022 NCAA season.

“We didn’t have a fall season last year during my freshman year because of COVID-19. Fall season is basically an individual season for us to get an opportunity to earn individual rankings up and to compete. So first of all, I am grateful that we get to have a fall season this year during this difficult time. The Furman Fall Classic was our first tournament and I am proud of my teammates who competed hard and had a good result for our team overall. This is a great start for the 2021 season and there’s many more to come,” she told Saipan Tribune.

Lee said she also used the offseason to improve her game and it obviously showed during the Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic.

“[I’ve added] more variations to my game, more aggressive and looking to finish off from the net. Also I worked a lot on my forehand, serve and my volley transition with my coaches and I also have been communicating with my dad and got his coaching and his advice as well and has been always helpful,” she said.

As far as her individual and team aspirations for the 2021-2022 is concerned, the Saipan Community School alumnus said she wants Georgia Tech to become one of the best teams and for her to get some ranking points.

“My expectations are always high towards on myself and for my team either I was a freshman or a sophomore. We always want to give our best and be one of the top teams in women’s Division I. Also, as for myself, my goal is to get ranked individually in singles and in doubles and get into the individual NCAA tournament this year.”

Aside from Lee, also compiling unblemished records in the Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic were freshmen Kylie Bilchev and Kate Sharabura and Monika Dedaj and Sophia Sassoli. Bilchev topped Tennessee’s Rebeka Mertea in the title match of flight one. Sharabura beat North Carolina’s Linsday Zink in the flight 11 finals, while Dedaj and Sassoli won the flight 10 and flight 12 championship matches after triumphing over Michigan State’s Marta Falceto and Ohio State’s Dani Schoenly, respectively in the finals.

Lee and the rest of her Yellow Jackets teammates return to action at the Georgia Southern Fall Shootout, Oct. 8-10.