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WTEN: Dawgs Defeat Mississippi State 7-0
The No. 7 Georgia women’s tennis team bounced back into the win column with a dominant 7-0 victory over Mississippi State at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on Friday.
The Bulldogs (14-4, 9-1 SEC) now improve to 48-0 all-time against Mississippi State (10-13, 0-10 SEC) and have won 12 of their last 13 matches this season.
Opening the afternoon with doubles, Georgia made quick work on their way to a doubles point.
The tandem of Anastasiia Lopata and Mell Reasco struck first on court three, cruising to a 6-1 victory over Chloe Cirotte and Alessia Tagliente (MSST).
No. 8 Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova followed up shortly after with their own dominant performance, securing both a 6-2 victory over Athina Pitta and Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSST) and the doubles point for the Bulldogs.
Moving on to singles, Georgia picked up right where it left off as it took every set across all six matches.
On court one, No. 20 Dasha Vidmanova was on the front foot from start to finish, only dropping one game in supplying a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Mikhailuk (MSST).
No. 81 Reasco followed up soon after with her own convincing win, breezing past Maria Rizzolo (MSST), 6-4, 6-0 to put Georgia up 3-0.
Aysegul Mert rose to the occasion on court four, earning a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Dharani Niroshan (MSST) and securing the clinch for the Bulldogs.
With both programs deciding to play out the remaining singles matches, No. 77 Lopata was next in line for her shining moment, taking a 6-2, 6-0 win on court three over Cirotte (MSST).
Leading 5-0 on the team score, Guillermina Grant left her footprint on the match, picking up a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jayna Clemens (MSST) to make it 6-0 Georgia.
With the potential sweep in hand, No. 93 Mai Nirundorn capped of the day for the Bulldogs with a 6-4, 7-6(4) victory over Tagliente (MSST) to secure the team sweep.
Georgia will remain at home and back in action when it faces No. 34 Ole Miss on Sunday, April 7 at 1 p.m. at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
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No. 7 GEORGIA vs No. 34 OLE MISS
Date: Sunday, April 7
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Dan Magill Tennis Complex
Live Video/Scoring: https://gado.gs/9y9
Singles Results
No. 20 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MS) 6-1, 6-0
No. 81 Mell Reasco (UGA) def. Maria Rizzolo (MS) 6-4, 6-0
No. 77 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) def. Chloe Cirotte (MS) 6-2, 6-0
Aysegul Mert (UGA) def. Dharani Niroshan (MS) 6-4, 6-2
Guillermina Grant (UGA) def. Jayna Clemens (MS) 6-2, 6-4
No. 93 Mai Nirundorn (UGA) def. Alessia Tagliente (MS) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
Doubles Results
No. 8 Aysegul Mert/Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. Athina Pitta/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MS) 6-2
No. 41 Mai Nirundorn/Guillermina Grant (UGA) vs. Dharani Niroshan/Maria Rizzolo (MS) 4-2, unfinished
Anastasiia Lopata/Mell Reasco (UGA) def. Chloe Cirotte/Alessia Tagliente (MS) 6-1
Match Notes:
Mississippi State 10-13 (0-10 SEC)
No. 7 Georgia 14-4 (9-1 SEC)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,2,4,3,5,6)
MTEN: Bulldogs Sweep the State of Mississippi
Filipe Costa of the No. 38 Georgia men’s tennis team earned the first clinching wins of his collegiate career in the Bulldogs’ 4-0 sweeps of Southern Mississippi and No. 59 Ole Miss on Friday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
The redshirt sophomore helped clinch the doubles point for the first time with Cyrus Mahjoob in the Bulldogs’ (12-11, 4-6 SEC) first match over the Eagles (7-7, 3-2 SBC). Costa, a native of São Paulo, Brazil, then capped off the day with a straight-set win on court six in singles to sweep the Rebels (9-12, 2-8 SEC).
Georgia continued to find success in doubles, taking the opening point in both contests. This extended Georgia’s streak of winning the doubles point to eight straight matches, including four in a row from Mahjoob. Georgia was down a break on all three courts against Ole Miss but managed to fight back with Mahjoob and Miguel Perez Peña clinching the point.
“It was a great day for our team,” said head coach Manuel Diaz. “Kudos to Parker Jacques, who stepped in and got his first clinch as a Bulldog in the first match this morning. I’m really proud of how we handled adversity against Ole Miss – I really thought we rose to the challenge. Niels played a complete match today in both doubles and singles. Miguel lost the first set but found his stride and had a sensational second and third set. It was very rewarding to see Filipe come through with his first career clinch as well. Overall, we fought tremendously well, and we got some great wins on the road today.”
In the day’s opening match against Southern Mississippi, Georgia took the doubles point swiftly after winning its matches on courts one and two, clinched by Costa and Mahjoob. The Bulldogs clinched the win in their first meeting against the Eagles with victories in singles on courts five, three and six. Freshman Parker Jacques clinched the sweep from the sixth position, marking his first match-clinching win and moving his dual match record to 4-0.
Georgia found itself down early against Ole Miss in doubles but came back to earn the point. On court one, No. 36 Blaydes and Ratiu forced a break at five-all and served the match out to take the win in a 7-5 decision, earning their fourth ranked win together. Mahjoob and Perez Peña faced triple break point but managed to fight it off and hold serve. The pair would tie their match by taking the game and eventually win by a 6-4 score, clinching the point together for a team-best sixth time this year.
The Bulldogs notched their second sweep of the day and seventh of the season after taking courts three, four and six in singles play. Ratiu took his fourth singles win in his last six match results in a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Isac Stromberg, his 12th straight-set victory this year. No. 121 Perez Peña pulled out his match in three sets over Lukas Engelhardt on court four to win his team-best 23rd match of the year, followed by Costa clinching his first career match on number six.
“You couldn’t find a more conscientious young man than Filipe,” said Coach Diaz. “He’s not only just a fighter but he’s also a tremendous leader for us after finally overcoming so many injuries. He’s finally feeling healthy and has earned an opportunity. Today, he made the most of it.”
Georgia will again hit the road for its final three matches. The Bulldogs head to Lexington, Ky. to take on No. 4 Kentucky on Friday, April 12 and close out the regular season with a doubleheader on Sunday against No. 48 Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. and Tennessee State at 5 p.m.
No. 38 Georgia 4, Southern Mississippi 0
Doubles competition – Georgia Wins Point
1. No. 36 Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. Dakotah Bobo/Henry Lamchinniah
(USM) 6-0
2. Filipe Costa/Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) def. Saheb Sodhi/Olimjon Nabiev (USM) 6-2*
3. Shamirul Shahril/Pasawee Reansuwong (USM) vs. Parker Jacques/Davis Taylor (UGA)
4-3, unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2*
Singles competition
1. Dakotah Bobo (USM) vs. No. 56 Ryan Colby (UGA) 6-7 (3-7), 1-4, unfinished
2. Shamirul Shahril (USM) vs. Niels Ratiu (UGA) 7-6 (8-6), 2-1, unfinished
3. Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) def. Olimjon Nabiev (USM) 6-2, 6-3
4. Henry Lamchinniah (USM) vs. Freddy Blaydes (UGA) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
5. Filipe Costa (UGA) def. Olle Noltorp (USM) 6-0, 6-3
6. Parker Jacques (UGA) def. Rasmus Becker (USM) 6-1, 6-3*
Order of finish: 5, 3, 6*
No. 38 Georgia 4, No. 59 Ole Miss 0
Doubles competition – Georgia Wins Point
1. No. 36 Freddy Blaydes/Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. No. 65 Nikola Slavic/Lukas Engelhardt
(OM) 7-5
2. Carson Baker/J. Hallquist Lithen (OM) vs. Ryan Colby/Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 5-6,
unfinished
3. Miguel Perez Peña/Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) def. Isac Stromberg/Noah Schlagenhauf
(OM) 6-4*
Order of finish: 1, 3*
Singles competition
1. No. 53 Nikola Slavic (OM) vs. No. 63 Thomas Paulsell (UGA) 7-5, 4-6, unfinished
2. J. Hallquist Lithen (OM) vs. No. 56 Ryan Colby (UGA) 7-6 (7-2), 5-2, unfinished
3. Niels Ratiu (UGA) def. Isac Stromberg (OM) 6-2, 6-2
4. No. 121 Miguel Perez Peña (UGA) def. Lukas Engelhardt (OM) 2-6, 6-1, 6-2
5. Noah Schlagenhauf (OM) vs. Cyrus Mahjoob (UGA) 6-1, 2-6, 5-0, unfinished
6. Filipe Costa (UGA) def. Carson Baker (OM) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)*
Order of finish: 3, 4, 6*
BSB: Dawgs Fall in Starkville
The 19th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs posted a 6-1 win over 24th-ranked Georgia Friday in front of a crowd of 12,315 at Polk-Dement Stadium.
MSU (20-11, 5-5 SEC) went up 1-0 in the second on a sacrifice fly by senior Logan Kohler, scoring Connor Hujsak who reached on a leadoff walk and took third on a base hit by Bryce Chance. Senior second baseman Amani Larry led off the bottom of the third with his third home run of the year to make it 2-0. In the fourth, Georgia (23-7, 4-6 SEC) got a two-out double from freshman Tre Phelps and then Kolby Branch followed and drove one to the wall in centerfield that was caught to maintain a shutout. Georgia cut it to 2-1 in the fifth, plating a run on a bases-loaded passed ball following an intentional walk to Charlie Condon.
Georgia sophomore left-hander Jarvis Evans got the start in place of graduate Charlie Goldstein who was scratched due to shoulder fatigue. Evans provided 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts in his first career SEC road start but fell to 2-1. Graduate Josh Roberge tossed 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to keep it a 2-1 contest heading to the seventh. He retired all eight batters he faced and struck out four. MSU got 6.2 strong innings from Khal Stephens (4-2) who allowed just one unearned run on five hits with seven strikeouts for the win.
Wth two on and two outs in the frame, Condon came to the plate to face the junior sidearm throwing closer Cam Schuelke. He hit the first pitch right back to him to end the threat. Georgia’s pitching staff combined to retire 15 in a row until a two-out, bunt single by David Mershon in the eighth. Two batters later, Hujsak smashed a three-run home run off Zach Evans to cap a four-run outburst for the final. Schuelke picked up his second save of the year with 2.1 scoreless innings.
“We threw the ball okay tonight, but we got to score to win games,” said Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson. “In the past 16 SEC innings, we’ve scored only one run, and you’re not going to win many games doing that. Our offense will get back on track. We’ll get back out there. It’s just a little hiccup for the offense, and we’ll be fine.”
Johnson added he was pleased with how Evans and Roberge kept the Bulldogs in the game Friday.
“They really saved our bullpen tonight,” Johnson added. “Those two guys did a really good job. It’s Friday night in this league, and you know you’re going to be in a fight. The games are going to be tight whether you’re at home or on the road. We threw the ball really well for seven and two-third innings in a 2-1 game, and the wheels came off after that.”
The series continues Saturday with first pitch at 8:02 p.m. ET, and the game will be available on SEC Network and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
SB: Georgia Drops Series Opener to Tennessee
The third-ranked Georgia softball team fell in the series opener at No. 6/4 Tennessee on Friday, 5-1.
Georgia falls to 30-7 on the season and 6-4 in SEC play.
Sydney Chambley picked up two hits of Georgia’s six hits in the contest. Freshman Emily Digby knocked her fourth home run of the season, a leadoff blast in the fifth inning.
Lilli Backes (12-4) worked three and a third innings in her start, surrounding three runs, one unearned, on three hits. Backes struck out four Lady Vol hitters. Shelby Walters pitched two and two-thirds innings out of the pen, allowing two runs on five hits.
Tennessee (29-5, 9-1) used a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to go ahead 2-0 early in the contest.
The Lady Vol lead was extended on an RBI infield single in the bottom of the third, 3-0.
A two-out two-RBI double off the bat of Zaida Puni widened the Lady Vol lead further in the fourth, 5-0.
Digby broke through for Georgia in the top of the fifth with a leadoff home run, 5-1.
Game two of the series is set for 12 p.m. on SEC Network live from Knoxville.
WBB: Javyn Nicholson named All-SEC
Georgia fifth-year senior Javyn Nicholson, who ranks third in the Southeastern Conference with 15 double-doubles this season, has been named to the All-SEC second team, it was announced Tuesday.
The Lawrenceville, Ga., native has turned in one of the best seasons by an individual player in school history. She is the first Lady Bulldog since Janet Harris in 1983 to record eight-straight double-doubles and is one of just four conference players this year to rank in the top-10 of the league in both scoring and rebounding.
Nicholson is averaging 16.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest and has scored in double figures in 28 of 29 games. She has also paced the Lady Bulldogs in scoring in a team-high 15 games during the 2023-24 campaign.
The Collins Hill prep star came to Georgia in 2019 and has thrived under Coach ABE’s leadership. After averaging 4.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in her first three collegiate seasons, Nicholson tripled her points per game to 13.1 and doubled her rebounds per contest to 8.0 over the last two years.
Nicholson is the 30th Georgia player to be named second-team All-SEC by league coaches.
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