Leaving a Championship Tennis Legacy

A historic comeback to claim the NAIA national championship had the Georgia Gwinnett College’s 2024 women’s tennis senior class putting an exclamation point on a career that will be remembered as one of the most glorious in intercollegiate athletics.

Angel Carney, Stephanie Fernandez, Teodora Jovic and Iryna Lysykh won four NAIA national championships and had a remarkable 79-1 dual match record over their four seasons in Lawrenceville. The Grizzlies also had six All-America selections and earned two Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player awards. 

GGC rallied from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Keiser University (Florida) in this year’s national championship match.

After junior Justine Lespes won her No. 1 singles match for the team’s second point, trailing 3-2 it came down to play by Lysykh on the No. 2 court and Fernandez at No. 6 singles to win the match.

And both needed to win in three sets after dropping the first set of their matches.

They weren’t going to end their collegiate careers with a loss. 

Lysykh defeated Keiser’s Katie Visnevscaia by 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-4 scores for the team’s third point. Then, Fernandez posted the match-clinching point with a come-from-behind victory over Vanja Vidanovic by 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 scores.

“I like the pressure of the moment because I’m not only doing it for myself, but for the team and legacy of the program,” states Fernandez.

The four student-athletes took different paths to arrive at GGC. Lysykh came from Ukraine as a freshman in 2021, while the other three transferred from other colleges: Fernandez, from Caracas, Venezuela, played No. 1 singles at in-state Reinhardt University (Georgia) before joining the team in 2022; Carney, from Dallas, Georgia, played for Keeling at nearby NCAA Division I Georgia State University in Atlanta; and Jovic, from Gorokan, Australia, came after reaching the singles semifinal round at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup in the fall of 2022 while playing at NAIA’s Union College (Kentucky).

Lysykh quickly burst onto the scene, winning the outstanding player award at the 2021 NAIA National Championship in Mobile, Alabama, and repeated that feat in 2022. She had a 17-2 record in singles as a freshman and followed by winning 13 of 14 singles matches the next season. Despite being limited by injuries, Lysykh had a 11-2 record in 2023 before coming back to close out her career with a 14-0 mark in singles this spring.

“I didn’t appreciate the good matches and performances enough because I always was concentrating on the next match in a tournament or season. I had to keep improving for the next time I stepped on the court,” noted Lysykh.

The four-year contributor also had to balance life-altering events within Ukraine as family, friends and fellow Ukraine citizens dealt with the ongoing conflict with Russia. 

“My mother gave me great advice: I needed to stay focused mentally and physically on what I was doing at the present, whether it’s playing tennis or doing my schoolwork,” says Lysykh, who is set to graduate this fall. “I know a lot of players (others from Ukraine) got totally caught up in the situation within Ukraine. Their emotional state was affected, and their tennis went down and team went down. When I was on the phone with my parents, I made sure they were alright. I was there for them, and they were there for me, as was my teammates.”

Meanwhile, Carney and Fernandez learned to appreciate the Georgia Gwinnett College experience, with NAIA national champion expectations, while playing at their previous schools. Carney was the No. 2 singles player at Georgia State while Fernandez was No.1 at Reinhardt. 

They enjoyed success in lesser playing roles in singles with the Grizzlies: Carney on the No. 5 court and Fernandez on No. 6 matches.

“I remember GGC being a tough team to compete against. We lost and I played a long and competitive match against a player who would become my teammate (the next season),” remarks Carney. “I had so many personal goals when I came here, but what ended up happening were even more special.”

Fernandez also sought to be part of the Grizzlies’ winning culture.

“This is a big family,” she states. “I always wanted to play against the toughest competition, showing people that I could do more (on the court). Sometimes you need to sacrifice and go to a place that will push you and make you a better player and person. My GGC experiences and being a member of this team made me stronger.”

Carney led the 2023 team with an 18-0 singles record and completed her GGC career with a 25-3 career mark. She also reached double digits in doubles victories, with a 16-4 record in her first season as a Grizzly.

Fernandez posted a 36-0 singles record in Lawrenceville and won the 2021 NAIA doubles national championship. She had a 41-5 record in doubles and finished two of her three springs on the No. 1 doubles team.

Off the court, Fernandez was the 2024 NAIA Women’s Tennis Academic Team Member of the Year, selected by the College Sports Communicators. She earned a business management degree in May.

Carney also earned her bachelor’s degree after helping lead GGC to the national title this spring. 

“GGC was just a great fit for Angel and brought out her competitive spirit. She eats, breathes and sleeps tennis, and that is what we do here at GGC,” said Keeling. “Being here allowed her the freedom to express and compete for national championships. That was one of her goals.”

Jovic garnered first NAIA All-American singles honors in 2024 and had a 16-5 record in singles in her two seasons as a Grizzly. She was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally after making consecutive semifinal ITA Cup appearances in the fall of 2023 and 2022.

Jovic, an English writing major, also earned first Academic All-America team recognition this spring and is set to graduate later this year.

The 2024 senior quartet left a winning legacy on and off the tennis court.