After a 2-0 start to conference play with wins over Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the Georgia women’s tennis team (8-1, 2-0) rose to No. 3 in the country in the ITA rankings, announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Tuesday afternoon.
 
 
The No. 3 ranking marks a jump of four spots from last week’s No. 7 nod.
 
 
In singles, four Bulldogs remain ranked with Ellen Perez claiming her highest ever rank, cracking the top 10 for the first time at No. 10. Perez was dominant this past weekend with straight-set wins over then-No. 40 Arianne Hartono and then-No. 11 Jasmine Lee, who rose to No. 9 in the new poll.
 
 
Another sophomore, Kennedy Shaffer, made a big leap in the rankings by improving 20 slots to No. 78. Shaffer, who made her 2016 debut at the No. 2 court this past weekend, earned an upset victory over then-No. 79 Natalie Suk on Friday 6-3, 6-3. She also earned a hard-fought victory on Sunday, battling through three match points against her to come from behind and take a 6-7, 6-1, 7-5 win to clinch Georgia’s win at Mississippi State. She is currently 9-0 on the year with a singles win in all nine dual matches that the Bulldogs have played.
 
 
Junior Caroline Brinson stayed at No. 22, the same spot that she has occupied for the previous two weeks, while senior Silvia Garcia fell 11 spots to No. 75.
 
 
In doubles, the top-court pair of Perez and Mariana Gould rose from 40 to 28 while the pair of Brinson and Garcia checks in at No. 71.
 
 
Georgia will square off against No. 46 Alabama on Friday night at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex beginning at 5 p.m.
 
 
For all the latest on Georgia women’s tennis, follow the team on Twitter (@UGAWomensTennis), Instagram (@ugawomenstennis) and on Facebook (Georgia Women’s Tennis), and keep checking in to georgiadogs.com.