The NAIA's No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's tennis team won its third straight match over a nationally ranked collegiate opponent, defeating NCAA Division III No. 3 Emory University 4-1 in Saturday afternoon's regular-season finale in Atlanta.

The Grizzlies (12-2) set the tone of the match behind strong doubles play. The senior duo of Isid Hernandez and Justine Lespes collected an impressive 6-2 victory on the No. 1 court against the No. 3-ranked pairing of Emily Kantovitiz and Dakota Fordham.

Then, junior Alexandra Melnikova and freshman Diana Ilie picked up a 6-3 victory at No. 2 doubles over the No. 22-ranked Eagles pairing of Yanire Marte and Eliza McPherron.

GGC continued the positive momentum in singles action, winning the first set in five of the six matches.

Freshman Elizabet Verizova quickly gave the visitors a 2-0 advantage with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 triumph against Riyah Dugar on the No. 6 court. Melnikova, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's No. 13-ranked NAIA player, was another straight-set winner, defeating Division III No. 5 Izzy Antanavicius by a 6-4, 6-1 score at No. 2 singles.

After Emory (13-4) got on the scoreboard for its lone victory at No. 3 singles, the Grizzlies closed out the match with Hernandez, the No. 20-ranked singles player, winning by identical 6-3 set scores against DIII No. 28 Fordham on the No. 5 court.

GGC closed out the regular season with two sweeps against NAIA top-15 opponents and a 4-1 road victory against a top-five Division III squad.
 
Coach's Corner
"I'm really proud of all the women today. Today we played gritty. We fought hard and competed as a team and that's all I can ask for. The women have been working extremely hard putting in the work and it came to fruition in our matches today. This was our best doubles performance yet this season and we are moving in the right direction and where we want to be going into the postseason," said Head Coach Hannah Keeling.
 
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to compete in the 2025 NAIA national tournament in Mobile, Alabama, beginning on Tuesday, May 13. The Grizzlies have won nine overall national championships, including eight straight titles.