WOMEN’S TENNIS: Georgia Ready to Squash Some GNATS

Georgia's Kennedy Shaffer returns a ball as fans look on during the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. (Photo by Sean Taylor) — Georgia’s Kennedy Shaffer returns a ball as fans look on during the USTA/ITA Southeast Regional Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga., on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. (Photo by Sean Taylor)

The fourth-ranked Georgia women’s tennis team (5-1) will hit the road on Saturday to take on in-state rival, No. 24 Georgia Tech, at 1 p.m. in Atlanta.

After having almost two full weeks off from competition, the Bulldogs will hit the match court carrying a five-match winning streak over the Yellow Jackets (5-3), a streak that spans back to 2010. The last time Georgia traveled to Atlanta it prevailed 7-0 over Tech.

“From the first day I stepped on this campus, I had teammates and coaches tell me how important the rivalry (with Georgia Tech) is,” said Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace. “It’s always meant a lot to me and to our players, as I’m sure it means a lot to them too. It’s an in-state rival. It’s always a great match. They’ve got a great team, great coaches, and we’re headed over to Atlanta to play them in their backyard.”

Coming off a loss to North Carolina in the indoor semifinals, the Bulldogs head into competition on Saturday without having lost back-to-back matches since the early portion of the 2014 season, a span of 58 matches.

The Bulldogs carry four ranked singles players on the squad, two of whom have yet to lose a match this season: No. 12 Ellen Perez (3-0) and No. 76 Kennedy Shaffer (6-0). Mariana Gould, who has yet to break in to the ITA polls this spring, is 4-0 on the year and plays on the No. 5 court. Caroline Brinson (No. 23) and Silvia Garcia (No. 71) round out the rankings.

Additionally, Georgia flaunts two ranked doubles pairs, holding consecutive spots in the ITA rankings. The second-court pairing of Garcia and Brinson checks in at No. 33 while the first-court mainstay of Perez-Gould is No. 34. Garcia and Brinson have won four consecutive matches and were 3-0 at ITA Indoors, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team.

Georgia Tech, meanwhile, claims two singles players (Rasheeda McAdoo, 56; Johnnise Renaud, 61) and one doubles pair (Paige Hourigan/Kendal Woodard, 58) in the ITA rankings.

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