The win moves the Bulldogs to 16-4 on the season and 9-1 in the SEC, while the Rebels fall to 11-9 overall and 3-6 in league play.
The Bulldogs took the first lead of the match when the freshman duo of Hannah King and Laura Patterson fought back from 7-5 down to clinch the doubles point with a dramatic 8-7(3) win on court 3. Prior to that, the No. 21 ranked tandem of senior Lauren Herring and freshman Ellen Perez had cruised to an 8-1 win over Julia Jones and Natalie Suk on court 1.
King continued her strong play in singles as she doubled Georgia’s advantage with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Iris Verboven on court 5. Perez then made it 3-0 to Georgia with a 6-3, 6-3 win over No. 120 Mai El Kamash on court 2, leaving the door open for sophomore Caroline Brinson to clinch the match for the Bulldogs with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Marija Milutinovic on court 6.
[su_spacer size=”20″]
Singles matches featuring Herring, freshman Kennedy Shaffer, and junior Silvia Garcia went unfinished on courts 1, 4, and 3, respectively.
“I thought we really did a good job,” said head coach Jeff Wallace. “That doubles point was really exciting and I thought at number one we played the best we have played all year. We then dropped at two and at three we were down and we had to fight off match points to end up winning. I thought that Laura and Hannah did a great job on that court hanging in there and getting that match. I think that gave us a lot of momentum going into singles. We won five of the six first sets and were able to close it out with the 4-0 win. Overall a great match for us today. Ole Miss has a good team so we are fired up about what happened here this afternoon.”
[su_spacer size=”40″]The win is Georgia’s sixth straight over the Rebels and improves the Bulldogs’ record in the all-time series to 37-8. It also keeps Georgia undefeated at home this season with a 7-0 record at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The Bulldogs have now won seven straight matches since losing at Alabama on March 6.
[su_spacer size=”20″]
Georgia will now get one day of rest before returning to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex to wrap up the weekend schedule with a 1 p.m. match against Mississippi State on Easter Sunday. The match will serve as Senior Day for the Bulldogs’ lone senior, Lauren Herring.
“Mississippi State is having a great year so we have to be ready to battle it out on Sunday,” said Wallace.
[su_spacer size=”40″]For match updates and information be sure to follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@UGAWomensTennis) and through the live scoring feed that will be available at match time by clicking here.
[su_spacer size=”20″]
Singles Results
- #8 Lauren Herring (UGA) vs. #14 Julia Jones (OM) 6-7 (4-7), 0-1, unfinished
- #62 Ellen Perez (UGA) def. #120 Mai El Kamash (OM) 6-3, 6-3
- #89 Silvia Garcia (UGA) vs. #107 Natalie Suk (OM) 6-3, 3-4, unfinished
- #58 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) vs. Erin Stephens (OM) 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
- #79 Hannah King (UGA) def. Iris Verboven (OM) 6-2, 6-0
- #104 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Marija Milutinovic (OM) 6-4, 6-1
(Photo by John Kelley)
Doubles Results
- #21 Lauren Herring/Ellen Perez (UGA) def. Julia Jones/Natalie Suk (OM) 8-1
- Erin Stephens/Mai El Kamash (OM) def. #17 Silvia Garcia/Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) 8-4
- Hannah King/Laura Patterson (UGA) def. Iris Verboven/Marija Milutinovic (OM) 8-7 (7-3)
Order of Finish: Singles (5,2,6) Doubles (1,2,3)