When the going got tough, the NAIA top-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's tennis team won three three-set singles match for a 6-1 home victory against NCAA Division I Georgia State University on Wednesday afternoon at the GGC Tennis Facility.

Junior Maria Genovese won a hard-fought match on the No. 1 court to clinch GGC's victory with the fourth point of the match. She won the opening set 7-5 before Georgia State's Eva Chivu squared the match by a 6-2 score in the second set.

Genovese, the 2020 NAIA singles champion, then found herself down 4-3 in the deciding third set. But, she battled back to get a critical break of serve to even things at 4-4, then won a tight serving game to grab a 5-4 lead. She closed out the victory when Chivu missed a forehand.

Freshman Selina Pichler gave the Grizzlies a 2-1 lead with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles. Classmate Ale Ferrer followed with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph on the No. 5 court to set up Genovese's match-clinching opportunity.

Freshman Marta Maestro rallied to win a three-set thriller on the No. 6 singles court, forcing the deciding set with a 6-4 victory in the second frame. The GGC player pulled away for a 6-2 victory in the third set.

Sophomore Tereza Koplova was victorious 7-5 in a deciding third set at No. 2 singles. She took the first set 6-4 before Georgia State's Angel Carney won six of the seven games during the second set to even the match.

GGC's comebacks started in doubles play when the hosts grabbed the 1-0 lead following a 6-4 triumph by senior Emerald Able and Ferrer on the No. 3 court. The Koplova-Pichler tandem won a tiebreaker 7-4 over Maddy Frediani and Chivu on the No. 1 court to clinch the point.

The Grizzlies' program improved to a 4-0 record all-time against Division I opponents.

 

Grizzly of the Day: Maria Genovese won the clinching point as the Grizzlies defeated Georgia State on Wednesday.#GGCAthletics pic.twitter.com/Igf81V6zXO

— GGC Tennis (@GGC_Tennis) February 17, 2021

  "Today was a very good win. To beat a team like Georgia State 6-1 is extremely impressive. I think it was a great college tennis match. We see ourselves as an elite-level college program, regardless of division. We played like that today. I was very proud to see us go 3-0 in three-set matches," said Head Coach Chase Hodges.
  Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to begin the Grizzly Invitational against Point University on Friday, February 19, at the GGC Tennis Facility, starting at 11:30 a.m. The Grizzlies will also face Tennessee Wesleyan University on Friday at 4 p.m.