It's 100 matches up, 100 victories down for the NAIA No. 1-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team after a 9-0 victory against No. 21 University of Northwestern Ohio on Tuesday afternoon at the GGC Tennis Facility.

The winning streak for the Grizzlies (18-0) began April 4, 2015, with a 5-3 win against NCAA Division II No. 2 University of West Florida in Pensacola, Fla. The stretch has spanned five different seasons and featured the following statistics:

• 52 wins against NAIA opponents
• 30 triumphs against Division II teams
• Nine victories against NCAA Division I and Division III opposition
• Four NAIA national championships

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Former players which played a role in establishing those winning ways have sent congratulatory social media messages about the team's achievement.
Tuesday's match also attracted a spirited crowd of GGC student-athletes and campus members.

"The support was amazing today. The GGC student-athletes and GGC community really stepped up and came out in full support. It was an honor for our guys to play in front of a great crowd," said Head Coach Chase Hodges, who has led the program during all six seasons of its existence.

In the match, sophomore Federico Bonacia recorded the clinching point with 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 2 singles.

"It was a high intense match. I played really well. I had no idea that it would come down to my match. Usually my singles matches go longer than some of my teammates' matches, so I did not expect to be the clinching point," said Bonacia.

The Grizzlies got off to a fast start by sweeping the three doubles matches. Bonacia teamed with senior Ayed Zatar for an 8-3 victory at the top of the lineup. Senior Rafael Coutinho and sophomore Valentino Caratini won eight of the 10 games on the No. 2 court. Junior Federico Herrera Duran and freshman Daniel Czepielewski rounded out the winners with an 8-2 triumph at No. 3 doubles.

"Going up 3-0 in doubles and having all of the energy in the match was huge," said Hodges. "We took it to them (Northwestern Ohio) early. Credit to them for fighting hard. We had to work hard for the win."

Caratini gave the hosts a 4-0 lead behind a 6-2, 6-1 victory on the No. 4 singles court. That set up the stage for Bonacia to clinch the match.

Other winners in singles were freshman Jose Dugo by a 6-0, 6-2 score on the No. 3 court; junior Mika Kosonen 6-1, 6-2 at No. 5 singles; Herrera Duran 6-3, 7-6 (0) at No. 1 singles; and Zatar 6-1, 6-3 on the No. 6 court.


 
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College travels to NCAA Division II Columbus State University on Wednesday, March 27, at 2 p.m. in Columbus, Ga.