The Georgia Gwinnett College women's tennis team recorded a pair of sweeps Friday afternoon to open play in the Grizzly Invitational at the GGC Tennis Facility. The action marked the first home matches of the 2024 season for the nation's No. 1-ranked NAIA team.

The Grizzlies (6-0) defeated No. 14 University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky) by a 7-0 score before earning a 4-0 win against Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas).

GGC quickly seized momentum against the nationally ranked Patriots by winning 18 of the 19 games across the three doubles matches. The No. 1 pairing of seniors Stephanie Fernandez and Iryna Lysykh set the positive tone for the day with a convincing 6-0 win. Senior Angel Carney and sophomore Versace Gatti clinched the doubles point with a 6-1 triumph on the No. 3 court. Juniors Justine Lespes and Carol Mora won all six games on the No. 2 court to complete the strong doubles performance in the morning match.

The hosts won all six singles matches in straight sets to secure the Grizzlies' fourth sweep of the season. Fernandez won all 12 games on the No. 6 court for the team's second point of the match. Gatti won her singles debut with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles to extend the lead to 3-0.

Carney picked up the fourth point of the contest with a 6-1, 6-2 triumph on the No. 5 court. Senior Teodora Jovic won by identical 6-1 set scores, while junior Justine Lespes recorded a 6-1, 6-2 victory at the top of the singles lineup.

Lysykh rounded out the singles winners against Cumberlands with a 7-5, 6-4 victory against Cumberlands' Marina Nagai, the NAIA's No. 26-ranked singles player.

In the afternoon, GGC captured the doubles point behind a pair of 6-0 triumphs by Fernandez-Lysykh tandem on the No. 1 court and the Carney-Gatti duo at No. 3 doubles. Lespes and Mora recorded a 6-2 victory on the No. 2 court to round out the doubles winners.

The hosts carried the strong play into singles as Fernandez picked up a 6-1, 6-2 victory on the No. 6 court. Lespes recorded a 6-0, 6-3 triumph at No. 1 singles. Lysykh recorded a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles for the match-clinching fourth point.

GGC has won 23 consecutive matches.
  "The girls looked really solid today. We had good momentum throughout the whole match. They know that they have to keep working hard throughout the season in order to get better with each performance," said Head Coach Hannah Keeling.
  Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host No. 10 SCAD Savannah (Georgia) on Sunday, February 18, from the GGC Tennis Facility, starting at 11:30 a.m.