Playing their first matches in five weeks, players for the No. 2-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College women's tennis team showed no signs of rust in their games, posting a 7-0 sweep against No. 11 SCAD Atlanta on Tuesday evening at the GGC Tennis Facility.
GGC (10-2) relied on strong doubles play to take a 1-0 advantage in the dual match. The team of junior
Alexandra Melnikova and freshman
Diana Ilie won all six games on the No. 2 court. Then, freshmen
Cherysh Henry and
Elizabet Verizova combined to clinch the doubles point with a 6-3 victory on the No. 3 court.
In singles, Melnikova quickly doubled the host's lead with a convincing 6-0, 6-2 triumph on the No. 2 court. Then, senior
Isid Hernandez won 12 of the 13 games on the No. 6 court to register GGC's third point of the match.
In possibly the match of the night, senior
Justine Lespes, the NAIA's No. 3-ranked player (by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association), picked up an impressive straight-set victory over SCAD Atlanta's No. 2 Shalimar Talbi at the top of the singles lineup. Lespes took the opening set by a 6-1 score and then closed out the match with a 6-3 victory in the second set.
Ilie gave the Grizzlies a 5-0 lead behind a 6-2, 6-0 victory at No. 5 singles. Freshman
MaryLove Edwards, ranked No. 46 nationally, won by identical 6-4 set scores on the No. 3 court against No. 50 Carmine Becoude. Then, Henry registered a 6-3, 7-6 (4) triumph at No. 4 singles.
The Grizzlies were playing for the first time since March 3.
Coach's Corner
"This was our best doubles performance yet. It was really encouraging to see how they came out and competed. The two seniors at the top line had really good chemistry. They've played together before and they're feeling confident in their game. The girls really stepped up and played some great tennis throughout the match," said Head Coach
Hannah Keeling.
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host No. 6 MIddle Georgia State University for Senior Day on Saturday, April 12, at the GGC Tennis Facility, starting at noon.
