[su_spacer size=”20″] Six members of the Georgia tennis teams will begin play in the individual portion of the NCAA Championships at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center. The men’s and women’s singles championships will begin Wednesday, while the doubles championships will get underway on Thursday.
[su_spacer size=”40″] On the men’s side, senior Nathan Pasha, junior Austin Smith and freshman Wayne Montgomery will play their opening round singles matches on Wednesday, while senior Lauren Herring will represent the women’s team as the No. 5 overall seed. Kennedy Shaffer earned an at-large bid to the tournament, but withdrew due to an injury.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Herring will also compete in the 32-team doubles draw on Thursday with Ellen Perez, while Smith and Ben Wagland are the No. 1 seed in the men’s draw.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Smith will take on South Florida’s Roberto Cid at 11:30 a.m. ET, Pasha will face Georgia Tech’s Christopher Eubanks at 3 p.m., and Montgomery will play the No. 4 seed Andrew Harris of Oklahoma at 4:30 p.m. Herring will square off against Miami’s Sinead Lohan at 11 a.m.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia players have won the NCAA singles title four times on the men’s side: Mikael Pernfors in 1984 and 1985, and Matias Boeker in 2001 and 2002. Pernfors beat teammate George Bezecny for the crown in 1985. The Bulldogs have won three NCAA doubles titles including Ola Malmqvist and Allen Miller in 1983, Boeker and Travis Parrott in 2001, and Isner and Antonio Ruiz in 2005.
[su_spacer size=”40″] On the women’s side, three Bulldogs have won the singles tournament: Lisa Spain in 1984, Angela Lettiere in 1994, and Chelsey Gullickson in 2010. No Bulldog tandem has ever won the NCAA women’s doubles championships, although Herring and former teammate Maho Kowase became the fifth duo to reach the finals during last season’s tournament.
[su_spacer size=”40″] In singles, players can achieve All-America status by reaching the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, players who finish in the top-20 of the final ITA singles rankings or are seeded in the top-16 of the NCAA Tournament also earn All-America honors.
[su_spacer size=”40″] In doubles, players who reach the quarterfinals, finish in the final 10 of the ITA rankings or are seeded in the top-eight of the NCAA Tournament will be recognized as All-Americans.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Live scoring and live video for the NCAA Championships is available on BaylorBears.com.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Wednesday’s Georgia Schedule (Eastern times)
[su_spacer size=”20″] Men’s Round of 64 Singles
[su_spacer size=”10″] Austin Smith (UGA) vs. Roberto Cid (South Florida) – 11:30 a.m.
Nathan Pasha (UGA) vs. Christopher Eubanks (Georgia Tech) – 3 p.m.
Wayne Montgomery (UGA) vs. [4] Andrew Harris (Oklahoma) – 4:30 p.m.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Women’s Round of 64 Singles
[su_spacer size=”10″] [5] Lauren Herring (UGA) vs. Sinead Lohan (Miami) – 11 a.m.