The No. 1-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College men's tennis team won three straight singles matches to score a 4-1 victory against No. 8 University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky) in Thursday's quarterfinal action of the 2026 UTR Sports NAIA National Championship at the Mobile (Alabama) Tennis Center.
The contest marked the third meeting this season between the Grizzlies (23-0) and Patriots (17-9). The programs played in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA Indoor National Championship – a 4-0 GGC victory in mid-February. The team recorded another 4-0 sweep in a dual match on February 21.
This time GGC withstood a determined Cumberlands singles effort that featured the teams splitting the opening sets across the six matches.
Trailing 1-0 after doubles play, the Patriots evened the contest at one point apiece with a straight-set triumph at No. 5 singles.
The Grizzlies, a program that has produced 10 NAIA national championships, began to regain the momentum of the match by forcing a third set on the No. 1 and No. 6 courts.
Freshman
Yerassyl Yerdilda regained the lead for GGC, at 2-1, with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles.
Senior
Juan Carlos Garcia extended the advantage by collecting the team's third point of the match, with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 4 singles.
Georgia Gwinnett eventually closed out the match with senior
Luis Francisco Sampedro winning all six games in the deciding third set at the top of the singles lineup.
Earlier in the match, GGC relied on strong doubles play to grab the 1-0 advantage. A 6-2 victory by the No. 2 pairing of senior
Francisco Perez Esnaola and sophomore
Gian Durrer secured the point.
Coach's Corner
"I give huge credit to Cumberlands for how they fought back after losing the doubles point. This is the third time we've played them this season, and it was by far the best that they have competed against us. Our guys dealt with the pressure well, ultimately regaining momentum and control, which were enough to see us through. It is a good thing that we were pushed today as it will prepare us well for more pressure-packed moments down the stretch in this championship tournament," said Head Coach
Tom Rees.
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to face No. 5 seed Southeastern University (Florida) in the semifinal round of the 2026 UTR Sports NAIA National Championship tournament on Friday, May 15, at the Mobile (Alabama) Tennis Center, starting at 9 a.m. central time.
