March 15, 2014

Box Score

GGC 9, SCAD 0

The fourth-ranked Georgia Gwinnett men’s tennis team wrapped up its unbeaten road swing with a 9-0 shutout of SCAD Savannah on Saturday in Savannah, Ga.

The Grizzlies scored their fifth shutout of the season, reaching 12-0 overall on the year, while the Bees dropped to 0-2.

It was GGC’s fifth victory over an eight-day span that saw the Grizzlies knock off their first-ever NCAA Division I opponent, Div. II power Armstrong Atlantic, a Div. III foe and two NAIA programs.

“Our men took care of business relatively quickly after coming off a huge win over Armstrong,” said Grizzlies head coach Chase Hodges. “Our doubles pair of Morland and de Veer looked very strong today and Hernan Hatem continues to play well in singles.”

The Grizzlies opened up an early 3-0 advantage in doubles. Morland and de Veer led the way on the top line in an 8-3 win, plus GGC got a pair of 8-2 victories from Bruno Tiberti/Erik Moberg and Connor Clements/Matias Hatem.

Singles lacked much drama as the Grizzlies won by a 6-0, 6-0 margin on the top two lines (Tiberti and Clements) and 6-0, 6-1 at number three with Hernan Hatem.

Tony Kostadinov outlasted his opponent, Darnell Sgubin, 2-6, 6-1, 10-0 at number four. Morland and de Veer added wins at fifth and sixth singles in straight sets.

The Grizzlies play their fourth straight road match next Saturday with a trip to Div. III No. 7 Emory before beginning a four-match homestand March 25.