The NAIA's top-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team picked up a pair of 6-1 victories against NCAA Division I The Citadel (South Carolina) on Sunday afternoon at the GGC Tennis Facility to conclude the Grizzly Invitational.

GGC (10-0) won all four matches in the annual spring tournament.

The Grizzlies used strong doubles play to quickly grab 1-0 advantages in both dual matches.

Senior Jeremias Rocco and junior Santiago Villarruel clinched the doubles point twice on the No. 1 court. The NAIA's No. 1-ranked doubles team collected a 6-1 victory in the morning match before closing out the afternoon's contest with another 6-1 triumph.

Senior Andoni Garmendia and freshman Gian Durrer also teamed to go 2-0 in doubles action, winning all six games in the morning on the No. 2 court before posting a 6-1 victory at No. 3 doubles. The duo of senior Aleksandr Kalinin and junior Luis Francisco Sampedro was another double winner on Sunday, winning 6-2 on the No. 3 court before winning all six games at No. 2 doubles in the afternoon.

GGC's lead grew to 2-0 in the first contest as Garmendia won 12 of the 13 games on the No. 4 court. Villarruel registered a 6-2, 6-1 triumph at No. 3 singles before Francisco Sampedro won by identical 6-2 set scores on the No. 2 court for the team's fourth point of the match.

Freshmen Kamron McIntosh-Ross and Gian Durrer rounded out the winners, collecting straight set triumphs at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively. McIntosh-Ross picked up a 6-3, 6-2 victory before Durrer earned a hard-fought 7-5, 6-3 triumph.

In the afternoon match, McIntosh-Ross won all 12 games at the No. 4 singles followed by a 6-3, 6-0 victory from freshman Mateo Larrea on the No. 6 court. That gave GGC a commanding 3-0 lead in the match.
Kalinin secured the victory with a 6-3, 6-1 triumph at the top of the singles lineup. Meanwhile, Garmendia won all 12 games on the No. 3 court and Francisco Sampedro had a 7-5, 6-2 victory on the No. 2 court.
 
Coach's Corner
"We had our best performance yet in doubles today. From start to finish, we were super focused and solid throughout the day and did not let Citadel get any momentum in either match. I was proud that we continued to have a strong mindset into the second match of the day. We will take this week to prepare for a big weekend ahead in Valdosta," said Head Coach Hannah Keeling.
 
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the six-match home stand when it hosts Montreat College (North Carolina) on Friday, February 28, at the GGC Tennis Facility, starting at 3:30 p.m. Then, the team will travel to Valdosta, Georgia, to face NCAA Division II Barry College (Ga.) on Sunday, March 2, and Valdosta State University (Ga.) on Monday, March 3.