A key come-from-behind victory in doubles and solid singles play led the NAIA's No. 1-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team to a convincing 7-0 home victory against No. 13 San Diego Christian College (California) Wednesday afternoon at the GGC Tennis Facility.

The victory extended GGC's winning streak to 135 consecutive dual matches -- two shy of matching the longest winning streak in collegiate sports history.

The match's momentum was front and center on the No. 2 doubles court after the teams split matches on the other two courts. GGC's junior Valentino Caratini and freshman Luis Gomar rallied from a 4-1 deficit to force a tiebreaker and determine which team would grab an early 1-0 lead in the match.

In the tiebreaker, the Grizzlies' tandem jumped out a 5-2 lead. Two points later, Gomar hit an overhead smash at the net to clinch the victory and complete the comeback.

The team of sophomore Jose Dugo and freshman Alex Gurmendi won all six games to be victorious on the No. 3 doubles court.

GGC (12-0) maintained momentum by winning five of the six singles matches in straight sets. Caratini won by identical 6-1 set scores on the No. 5 court to give the hosts a 2-0 lead. Gurmendi registered a 6-2, 6-3 triumph at No. 2 singles, while Dugo clinched the dual match victory with a 6-1, 6-3 win on the No. 4 court.

Junior Federico Bonacia recorded a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 6 singles, while Gomar won 12 of the 15 games on the No. 3 court.

Then, freshman Matthias Haim rallied for a three-set triumph at the top of the singles lineup. After losing the first set, he came back to capture the second set by a 7-5 score. Then, Haim recorded an 11-9 win in the tiebreaker to remain undefeated on the season.

 

Grizzly of the Day: Luis Gomar vs. San Diego Christian#GGCAthletics pic.twitter.com/tnhYEyXhkN

— GGC Tennis (@GGC_Tennis) March 10, 2021

  "Our doubles play was big today. (San Diego Christian) has the No. 1-ranked doubles team in the country, so we knew that was going to be a tough match for us. Our No. 3 doubles team played very well and it all came down to our No. 2 doubles team. Valentino (Caratini) and Luis (Gomar) dug down deep by saving four match points. That comeback victory gave us motivation to get ahead early in singles and maintain positive momentum in the match," said Head Coach Chase Hodges.
  Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Indiana University East on Thursday, March 11, at the GGC Tennis Facility, starting at 3:30 p.m.