After dropping the doubles point, the seventh-ranked Georgia women’s tennis team (8-1, 2-0) took five of six singles matches to defeat No. 25 Mississippi State (10-2, 1-1) 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
 
 
Sophomore Ellen Perez set the tone in singles with an upset victory on the top court, cruising to a win over No. 11 Jasmine Lee 6-3, 6-1. Kennedy Shaffer delivered the clincher several matches later to maintain her perfect 9-0 record, fighting off three match points in the third set to win 6-7, 6-1, 7-5. With the win, Georgia’s all-time record against Missisippi State improves to 39-0.
 
 
“Mississippi State had a big crowd and really provided a fun environment for us to have a battle in,” said Georgia associate head coach Drake Bernstein. “On several courts our girls had to step up and earn wins. Kennedy did an outstanding job from down 5-4, 40-15 in the third set. She came back and won 11 of the next 12 points for us. We had a fantastic team effort today and we’re looking forward to next week’s matches against Alabama and Auburn in Athens.”
 
 
For just the second time this season, Georgia lost the doubles point. The Bulldogs claimed a win on the third court to jump ahead in doubles play as Kennedy Shaffer and Laura Patterson prevailed 6-3 over the 53rd-ranked pairing of Jennifer Brown and Kristina Vozniak. The other two courts went to Mississippi State, though, as the home squad took courts one and two by 6-4 and 6-3 scores, respectively.
 
 
Perez got singles play started with another strong showing, besting Lee 6-3, 6-1 to tie the match at one, and Mariana Gould followed suit with a straight-sets win of her own, claiming the fifth court 7-5, 6-3 to give Georgia its first lead.
 
 
“Ellen was an unsung hero for our team today,” added Bernstein. “Getting off the court against a top player that quickly provided a huge boost for us after the doubles point.”
 
 
Mississippi State fought back, taking the four court 7-5, 6-4 to tie the match at two. The match then came down to three courts that all required all three sets to determine a winner. Caroline Brinson cruised through the final set, earning a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 win on the third court to give Georgia a chance to finish up, 3-2. Shaffer delivered the knockout for the Bulldogs, coming back from down 5-3 in the third set to win the second court 6-7, 6-1, 7-5.
 
 
Laura Patterson played out her match on the six court, claiming a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 win.
 
 
For all the latest on Georgia women’s tennis, be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@UGAWomensTennis), Instagram (@ugawomenstennis) and on Facebook (Georgia Women’s Tennis), and keep checking in to georgiadogs.com.
 
 

MATCH RESULTS:

No. 7 Georgia defeats No. 25 Mississippi State (5-2)

Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,5,4,3,2,6)

 
 
Doubles
 
1. #51 Harrison/Patrasc (MSU) def. #40 Perez/Gould (UGA) 6-4
2. Lee/Ronaldson (MSU) def. #38 Brinson/Garcia (UGA) 6-3
3. Shaffer/Patterson (UGA) def. #53 Brown/Vozniak (MSU) 6-3
 
 
Singles
 
1. #14 Ellen Perez (UGA) def. #11 Jasmine Lee (MSU) 6-3, 6-1
2. #98 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Madison Harrison (MSU) 6-7(7-1), 6-1, 7-5
3. #22 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. #103 Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
4. #43 Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) def. #64 Silvia Garcia (UGA) 7-5, 6-4
5. Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Kristina Vozniak (MSU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Laura Patterson (UGA) def. Jennifer Brown (MSU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3