For the first time since 2019 and fifth time overall, the Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team completed a NAIA national championship without dropping a point. The Grizzlies' ninth straight national title came Saturday afternoon with a 4-0 sweep against Tennessee Wesleyan University at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama.
GGC has a 36-0 all-time record in NAIA postseason play. The No. 2-seeded Grizzlies defeated No. 15 seed St. Thomas University (Florida), No. 7 seed Xavier University (Louisiana) and No. 6 seed University of Northwestern Ohio before being victorious against the No. 4 Bulldogs in the national tournament finale – all winning by 4-0 match scores.
The team completed the season with a 22-1 record.
"I'm so proud for the guys and seeing the smiles, laughs and joy they have for each other makes it very rewarding," said Head Coach
Hannah Keeling, who is in her first year leading the GGC program. "Our goal for this week was to win every match without dropping a point (4-0 scores). They set their mind to accomplishing that goal. Finishing the season this way makes a statement for GGC."
The Grizzlies got strong doubles play from seniors
Jose Dugo and
Leonardo Sprovieri on the No. 2 court to tie the match's doubles point – after Tennessee Wesleyan had picked up a 6-2 victory on the No. 3 court. Dugo served out the match for a 6-1 win.
That turned all eyes on the No. 1 doubles court, where juniors
Alex Gurmendi and
Dhakshineswar Suresh took a 6-5 lead after holding serve. Then, the tandem broke the Bulldogs' service game to post the victory and the important doubles point for the match.
"We took advantage of some nice shots to get the break back before DK (Suresh) held serve pretty easily," said Gurmendi. "At the end, we were playing our best tennis. During the return game I told DK to take it point-by-point. There would be a moment in each point where we could gain the advantage in the rally."
GGC's strong play continued in singles with the team winning the opening set on five of the six courts.
Suresh extended the match advantage to 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-3 victory on the No. 2 court. The freshman posted a 21-0 singles record this spring, with all 21 matches being decided in straight sets.
Another freshman,
Santiago Villarruel, contributed to the GGC lead with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph against Zoilo Rios on the No. 4 court. Villarruel won all 17 of his singles matches this spring.
"Being a part of GGC means you're part of a dynasty. The new players really bought into that. We were a unit throughout this tournament," said Keeling.
With weather threatening for the third straight day, senior
Leonardo Sprovieri served out his match on the No. 5 court to complete the postseason sweep with a 6-3, 6-4 win. Sprovieri fell to his back along the baseline as he saw his opponent's shot sail wide left.
Another championship celebration began as GGC teammates and coaches came running to Sprovieri.
"Playing in my last college match and getting the clinching point is something that I will always remember," stated Sprovieri. "I am so proud of how everybody played, not just today but in the entire tournament. Today's match was tough because I was playing against an old friend who is tall with a big serve. I just stayed composed all day and fought for the Grizzlies."
Gurmendi was named the Ward-Ballinger Outstanding Player, presented annually to the individual who exhibited outstanding play, leadership and sportsmanship during the NAIA Championships. The junior joined Suresh to win all four of their doubles matches in the tournament while being 3-0 in singles play. Gurmendi had a 17-1 record in singles and was unbeaten in 20 doubles matches this spring.
