(Photo by John Kelley)
Georgia (5-2) claimed the doubles point and then picked up victories from sophomore Caroline Brinson and freshmen Ellen Perez and Hannah King to send the defending NCAA champion Bruins (4-1) to the consolation draw.
“Whew, that was a great win for our team,” Georgia coach Jeff Wallace said. “We played really good doubles, our two and three teams just played fantastic. I thought all our singles players played great today, we’ve been really working hard and had some tough matches this year. We’ve been tested, and I think that’s helped us. I’m super proud of the team.
“Hannah King came back after losing a pretty one-sided first set and doing what she did showed a lot,” Wallace added. “Lauren (Herring) continues to play great tennis; she’s playing unbelievable. Ellen Perez again loses a first set and comes back and gets a win, that’s huge too. And then Caroline Brinson down there just cruising the whole way and Kennedy (Shaffer) stayed on the court a long time against one of the best players in the country in team tennis. I’m really proud of everybody.”
In doubles, the Bruins top-ranked duo of Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips were the first off the court, posting a 6-1 win over Perez and Herring. However at that point, Georgia held a 4-2 lead in the No. 2 match and a 5-1 advantage at No. 3. Brinson and King notched a 6-2 win at No. 3 over Chanelle Van Nguyen and Kristin Wiley. Then, all eyes turned to the No. 2 match, as it would decide the first team point. Georgia’s Silvia Garcia and Kennedy Shaffer dispatched Robin Anderson and Terri Fleming 6-3 to give the Bulldogs an early edge.
The Bruins singles lineup features the No. 2 ranked player in Anderson in the top spot and Van Nguyen, who is ranked No. 3, playing number two. Georgia managed fast starts at No. 1 and No. 6 singles as Herring and Brinson claimed the first set in their matches while the Bruins grabbed the first set in the other four contests. Brinson provided the Bulldogs a 2-0 edge when she closed out Wiley 6-0,6-2 at No. 6. Brinson improved to 17-4 on the year. As the match moved in to its second hour, Perez and King forced a third set at No. 2 and No. 5. Anderson saved a couple of match points against Herring and eventually took the second set in a tiebreaker 7-3.
The Bruins got their first team point with a victory at No. 4 as the 79th-ranked Ray defeated 83rd-ranked Garcia 7-5,6-2. Then, Georgia moved one step closer to the victory when Perez recorded the biggest win of her career, rallying past third-ranked Nguyen 4-6,6-1,6-3 to make it 3-1 Bulldogs. Perez is now 8-4 this season. The Bruins closed the gap to 3-2 when McPhillips beat Shaffer 6-3,7-6(2) at No. 3.
King provided the clinching victory as she knocked off Fleming 1-6,6-4,6-4. It marked the first clinching win of her career. Meanwhile, Herring had gone up 4-3 in the third over Anderson at No. 1 when the match was halted.
Georgia will face the California-TCU winner on Sunday at noon at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Prior to Saturday, the Bulldogs last posted a win over a No. 1 ranked team in 2008 when it beat Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Georgia is now 8-4 all-time against UCLA.
“UCLA has a great program, they’re defending NCAA champions and have been in the Indoor Finals the past few years, and this was just a great win for our team,” Wallace added.
Georgia (5-2) claimed the doubles point and then picked up victories from sophomore Caroline Brinson and freshmen Ellen Perez and Hannah King to send the defending NCAA champion Bruins (4-1) to the consolation draw.
“Whew, that was a great win for our team,” Georgia coach Jeff Wallace said. “We played really good doubles, our two and three teams just played fantastic. I thought all our singles players played great today, we’ve been really working hard and had some tough matches this year. We’ve been tested, and I think that’s helped us. I’m super proud of the team.
“Hannah King came back after losing a pretty one-sided first set and doing what she did showed a lot,” Wallace added. “Lauren (Herring) continues to play great tennis; she’s playing unbelievable. Ellen Perez again loses a first set and comes back and gets a win, that’s huge too. And then Caroline Brinson down there just cruising the whole way and Kennedy (Shaffer) stayed on the court a long time against one of the best players in the country in team tennis. I’m really proud of everybody.”
In doubles, the Bruins top-ranked duo of Catherine Harrison and Kyle McPhillips were the first off the court, posting a 6-1 win over Perez and Herring. However at that point, Georgia held a 4-2 lead in the No. 2 match and a 5-1 advantage at No. 3. Brinson and King notched a 6-2 win at No. 3 over Chanelle Van Nguyen and Kristin Wiley. Then, all eyes turned to the No. 2 match, as it would decide the first team point. Georgia’s Silvia Garcia and Kennedy Shaffer dispatched Robin Anderson and Terri Fleming 6-3 to give the Bulldogs an early edge.
The Bruins singles lineup features the No. 2 ranked player in Anderson in the top spot and Van Nguyen, who is ranked No. 3, playing number two. Georgia managed fast starts at No. 1 and No. 6 singles as Herring and Brinson claimed the first set in their matches while the Bruins grabbed the first set in the other four contests. Brinson provided the Bulldogs a 2-0 edge when she closed out Wiley 6-0,6-2 at No. 6. Brinson improved to 17-4 on the year. As the match moved in to its second hour, Perez and King forced a third set at No. 2 and No. 5. Anderson saved a couple of match points against Herring and eventually took the second set in a tiebreaker 7-3.
The Bruins got their first team point with a victory at No. 4 as the 79th-ranked Ray defeated 83rd-ranked Garcia 7-5,6-2. Then, Georgia moved one step closer to the victory when Perez recorded the biggest win of her career, rallying past third-ranked Nguyen 4-6,6-1,6-3 to make it 3-1 Bulldogs. Perez is now 8-4 this season. The Bruins closed the gap to 3-2 when McPhillips beat Shaffer 6-3,7-6(2) at No. 3.
King provided the clinching victory as she knocked off Fleming 1-6,6-4,6-4. It marked the first clinching win of her career. Meanwhile, Herring had gone up 4-3 in the third over Anderson at No. 1 when the match was halted.
Georgia will face the California-TCU winner on Sunday at noon at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. Prior to Saturday, the Bulldogs last posted a win over a No. 1 ranked team in 2008 when it beat Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Georgia is now 8-4 all-time against UCLA.
“UCLA has a great program, they’re defending NCAA champions and have been in the Indoor Finals the past few years, and this was just a great win for our team,” Wallace added.