The top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team will play for another NAIA national championship after defeating No. 5 seed Southeastern University (Florida) 4-0 during Friday's semifinal at the Mobile Tennis Center in Mobile, Alabama.

GGC (19-2), winner of 10 straight national titles, will play Keiser University (Florida) in the title match on Saturday, May 17, at 2 p.m.

The No. 3 doubles team of senior Andoni Garmendia and freshman Kamron McIntosh-Ross won a hard-fought match to clinch a point in the match, winning in a tiebreaker by a 7-3 score.

That came after the Grizzlies and Fire (18-3) split matches on the other two doubles courts. The team of senior Aleksandr Kalinin and junior Luis Francisco Sampedro began the match with a 6-2 triumph on the No. 2 court.

GGC carried the positive momentum into singles, winning the first set in four of the six matches.

McIntosh-Ross won his third straight match in his first NAIA national championship with a 6-2, 6-1 singles victory against Mark Griffin on the No. 5 court.

Kalinin then put the Grizzlies on the brink of the final appearance by winning his match on the No. 4 court. He won a second-set tiebreaker 7-4 against Alejandro Orihuela after the Grizzly player won the opening set by a 6-2 score.

Junior Santiago Villarruel won his first set in a tiebreaker 7-3 against Diego Menendez and clinched the match victory by registering the fourth point with a 6-1 second-set score.

The Grizzlies will now play in their 11th straight national championship match, posting a 43-0 all-time NAIA postseason record.
 
Coach's Corner
"It was a total team effort today with tough conditions in the heat. Everyone stepped up for each other to gain the win. We simply refused to lose and dominated the big moments. That pushed us to the victory. I am so proud of these guys. We will rest and prepare for tomorrow and know what to expect in the final," said Head Coach Hannah Keeling.
 
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to face No. 3 seed Keiser University (Florida) in the NAIA national championship match on Saturday, May 17, in Mobile, Alabama, starting at 2 p.m.