The nationally ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's tennis team celebrated its two senior student-athletes with a dominant 7-0 Senior Day victory in a top-10 showdown against Middle Georgia State University on Saturday afternoon at the GGC Tennis Facility.

The Grizzlies (11-2), ranked No. 2 in the NAIA poll, posted convincing triumphs in doubles, winning 18 of the 19 games across the three matches against No. 6 Knights (12-6).

The senior pair of Isid Hernandez and Justine Lespes won all six games at the top of the lineup. Then, the freshman duo of MaryLove Edwards and Elizabet Verizova also was victorious by a 6-0 score on the No. 2 court. Finally, junior Elizabet Verizova and freshman Cherysh Henry rounded out the doubles sweep with a win on the No. 3 court.

The Grizzlies continued their strong play into singles action, with Verizova winning all 12 games on the No. 6 court to give GGC a 2-0 advantage in the dual match.

Lespes followed with a 6-0, 6-1 victory on the No. 1 court. The two-time first NAIA All-America team selection improved to 43-0 in dual match singles play. She stands No. 3 nationally in singles, selected by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.

"It was emotional playing the last match at home. It has been a good journey at GGC. I didn't want to show any tears, but they were there," said Lespes.

Leading 3-0, Melnikova closed out the match victory with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 performance at No. 2 singles. She stands No. 13 nationally in singles and was victorious against No. 66-ranked Berta Castello Petrus.

Hernandez, the ITA's No. 20-ranked NAIA singles player, tallied a 6-0, 6-4 victory on the No. 5 court to improve her season record to a team-leading 10-0.

Edwards, ranked No. 72 nationally, won by identical 6-2 set scores on the No. 3 court against No. 63-ranked Ainhoa Meili Fernandez del Moral. Then, Henry rallied from dropping the first set in a tiebreaker at No. 4 singles to pick up a 6-7, 6-1, 10-5 victory.
 
Coach's Corner
"This was a beautiful day for the seniors. A 7-0 win just goes to show you the legacy they will leave here. Justine is irreplaceable, not only for her play on the tennis court, but just the person that she is. The team is really stepping into its own," said Head Coach Hannah Keeling.
 
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to close out the regular season with a road match against NCAA Division III Emory University on Saturday, April 19, in Atlanta, starting at 1 p.m.