The Georgia Gwinnett women's tennis team captured its second NAIA National Title in three seasons on Saturday, defeating No. 7 Lindsey Wilson 5-4 at the Mobile Tennis Complex.
The Grizzlies (18-2) overcame a 2-1 deficit after doubles play, rallying to defeat the Blue Raiders by winning four of the six singles matches.
"Wow! I cannot describe how great it is to have this group of women overcome early adversity and rally to win the way they did," stated GGC head coach Chase Hodges. "Klara [Dohnalova] and Alyona [Vasilyeva] came up clutch in a pressure situation to win the title, and I'm extremely happy for the way our team fought and came together to accomplish our goal. Getting back to the championship was great, but winning it for a second time is amazing."
In doubles play, freshman Sophie Feller and junior Valeria Podda narrowed LWC's lead to 2-1 in doubles play with an 8-2 victory over Henar Munoz and Natalia Kattah at No. 1 doubles.
The championship, which came down to singles play, was a back-and-forth battle between Georgia Gwinnett and Lindsey Wilson. Podda evened the match at 2-2 with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Munoz at No. 1 singles. Lindsey Wilson regained the 3-2 edge at No. 3 singles as Jessica King defeated Feller 6-3, 6-4.
In the 90+ degree temperatures in Mobile, fatigue became an evident factor in the remaining four singles matches. Georgia Gwinnett's fitness level shined through in the waning matches as it rallied for the victory. Junior Chiara Di Salvo tied the match at 3-3 in a battle that witnessed 27 deuces in the first set. Di Salvo held strong and pulled out the 7-6, 6-1 win over Maria Prados, reshifting the momentum back to the Grizzlies.
At No. 6 singles, Helga Pinones-Haltenhoff led early but fell to LWC's Fiona Curty 1-6, 6-4, 6-1 to give the Blue Raiders the lead for the third time in the match.
Trailing 4-3, the Grizzlies battled back once again to pull even with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 come-from-behind victory at No. 2 singles by Dohnalova.
Knotted at 4-4, the match came down to No. 5 singles where Vasilyeva battled through a three-set match to defeat Kattah 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to clinch the Grizzlies' second title in three seasons.
Hodges continued, "Redemption feels great. We faced the same scenario last year and things didn't go our way. This year, however, we held strong and finished the job. I'm extremely proud of how we ended our season and look forward to next year as we defend the title."
During the awards ceremony, Podda received the Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player Award for going undefeated in doubles and singles play throughout the national tournament. Coach Hodges was also named the NAIA Women's Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons.
The complete championship bracket can be accessed by clicking here.
For all the latest on Grizzly Athletics, including news, scores and features, visit GrizzlyAthletics.com. Check out all the latest Grizzly Women's Tennis content and join the conversation by following @GGC_Tennis on Twitter.
