North Carolina State Team Page
URBANA, Ill. – NC State junior and 53rd-ranked Joelle Kissell saw her season come to an end after suffering a first-round defeat in the 2013 NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Championships on Wednesday afternoon.
After rain and wind pushed back the start of the match by approximately two hours, Kissell got herself ready for what turned out to be an all-out battle with Texas’ 37th-ranked Aeriel Ellis.
Kissell, the nation’s 53rd-ranked player, held a 6-5 lead in the first set, but Ellis responded to tie the match at six all and forced a tiebreaker. Ellis went on to take the tiebreak by a 7-3 count and win the first set, 7-6.
The Hostetter, Pa., native took an early 2-0 lead in the second set, but Ellis responded by winning four-straight games to grab a 4-2 advantage. Kissell would fight back and tie the frame at five all, but Ellis went on to take the final two games for a 7-5 second-set victory to close out the match.
Kissell finishes the 2012-13 season with an 18-13 overall record, which includes eight wins over ranked opponents. The 2013 All-ACC selection became just the second player in program history to earn a bid to the singles championship in consecutive years.
