The NAIA's No. 1-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's tennis team opened the 2024 spring season with a commanding 7-0 triumph at NCAA Division II Lander University Sunday afternoon in Greenwood, South Carolina.
The Grizzlies won all six singles matches in straight sets after collecting the doubles point.
The visitors set the tone for the match by having strong doubles play. The senior duo of
Angel Carney and
Teodora Jovic won six of the seven games on the No. 3 court. Then juniors
Justine Lespes and
Carol Mora earned a 6-2 victory at No. 2 doubles, and seniors
Stephanie Fernandez and
Iryna Lysykh had a 6-3 victory at the top of the doubles lineup.
GGC maintained that momentum in singles play as Lespes collected a 6-2, 6-4 triumph on the No. 1 court. Lespes, the NAIA's No. 1-ranked singles player, improved to 18-0 in career dual matches.
Lysykh, ranked No. 9 in the NAIA, recorded her 42nd career dual singles win with a 6-3, 6-0 victory on the No. 2 court.
Other victories were recorded by No. 4-ranked Jovic, with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at No. 3 singles; No. 6-ranked Carney, who won 12 of 13 games on the No. 4 singles court; No. 20-ranked Fernandez, a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 5 singles; and Mora, with identical 6-1 set scores on the No. 6 court.
The Grizzlies have won their last 18 dual matches.
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to face No. 8 seed William Woods University (Missouri) in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA Indoor National Championship on Friday, February 2, at Overland Park, Kansas.
