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UGA women’s tennis will open the 2024 spring season ranked third in the nation

The University of Georgia women’s tennis team will open the 2024 spring season ranked third in the nation after the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released its team preseason rankings on Wednesday. 

Georgia is one of six Southeastern Conference programs ranked in the preseason Top 25, listed amongst No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 10 Florida, No. 11 Auburn, No. 17 Vanderbilt, and No. 18 Tennessee. 

With an SEC-leading seven Bulldogs ranked in the end of fall ITA Division I women’s tennis player rankings, Georgia will prepare for its spring schedule highlighted by eight opponents ranked in the preseason Top 25. 

Following three days at the Michigan Invitational, the Bulldogs will open dual match competition against No. 1 North Carolina on Jan. 21 in Chapel Hill, N.C. 

After two days of home action at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend against South Florida and one of South Carolina/Arizona, Georgia will travel once again to face top-10 competition against No. 7 Texas on Feb. 4 in Austin. 

Nearing midway through February, the Bulldogs will embark on a five-match road trip with two top-25 meetings.  

Georgia will compete against in-state rivals No. 20 Georgia Tech on Feb. 18 in Atlanta followed by No. 10 Florida on March 8 in Gainesville, Fla., before wrapping up at South Carolina, who is receiving votes, on March 10 in Columbia, S.C. 

Upon returning to Athens, the Bulldogs will compete in their first home SEC match against No. 2 Texas A&M on March 15. 

After back-to-back conference home matches, Georgia will head back on the road for the final time in regular season play. 

Three road matches are highlighted by two top-25 matches starting with No. 18 Tennessee on March 24 in Knoxville and ending with No. 11 Auburn on March 31 in Auburn, Ala. 

Georgia will close out its conference and regular season schedule with a four-match homestand including one ranked matchup against No. 17 Vanderbilt on Apr. 12 before hosting the SEC Tournament on Apr. 17-21. 

WBB Preview: Georgia vs. TAMU tonight at the Stege

Game Information

Georgia (9-4) vs. Texas A&M (12-1)

Thursday, Jan. 4 || 7 p.m. ET || Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) || Athens, Ga.  || SEC Network +

TV: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart and Anne Marie Armstrong)

Listen: Jeff Dantzler (GeorgiaDogs.com, 960 AM The Ref or 103.7 FM)

Opening Tip

» Georgia welcomes Texas A&M to Athens for a 7 p.m. tip Thursday in Stegeman Coliseum. 

» Georgia is led by fifth-year senior Javyn Nicholson, who is tied for the lead in the SEC this season with eight double-doubles, including four straight. Nicholson has reached double figures in scoring in every game during the 2023-24 campaign. 

» Junior guard Asia Avinger is coming off her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 assists against Wofford. 

» The Lady Bulldogs rank third among SEC teams and No. 18 nationally in field-goal percentage defense, holding teams to just 34 percent from the field. 

» Georgia’s bench averages 26 points per game — the second-best average in the league behind South Carolina (35.6 ppg). 

» Georgia enters SEC play with a 9-4 non-conference mark. The Lady Bulldogs held at least a five-point advantage in three of their four losses this season. 

» Texas A&M head coach Joni Taylor spent seven seasons as the head coach at Georgia. Her record at UGA was 140-75 overall (.651) and 62-48 (.563) in SEC play. This is her first trip back to Stegeman Coliseum as the head coach of the Aggies. 

» Georgia is in its second season under the leadership of Coach ABE. ABE’s successful first year included a NCAA tournament appearance, 22 wins, and a fifth-place finish in the final SEC standings. 

» The Lady Bulldogs were the only SEC squad to not have a single player enter the transfer portal this past offseason. 

»  Coach ABE’s teams have won 20 or more games in 11-straight seasons, while her 12 NCAA tournament appearances rank third among active SEC coaches, only behind Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina).

» Georgia is one of three programs nationwide, joining Wisconsin Green Bay and Tennessee, to never have a losing record in a season. 

Season Notebook

Henderson Returns

Georgia redshirt freshman Savannah Henderson made her first appearance of the season during the team’s outing against Wofford on Dec. 30. Henderson suffered a season-ending injury last year at the beginning of what was a promising start to her freshman year. During her return against Wofford, she knocked in a pair of 3-pointers.  

Avinger Posts First Double-Double

Lady Bulldog junior guard Asia Avinger posted her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 assists against Wofford.  She has now scored in double figures 39 times in 73 career games. 

Ingram Earns Starts

Redshirt freshman guard Stefanie Ingram has provided a spark for Georgia with three-straight starts. Ingram scored 11 points against Pitt, hitting 3-for-5 from the field. 

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