The No. 4 Georgia women’s tennis team routed Clemson, 7-0, in the Lady Bulldogs win over the Tigers on Saturday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

 

Georgia claimed the doubles point and captured all six singles matches in front of a Lindsey Hopkins Indoor Courts crowd of 485 to improve to 3-0 on the year. The Tigers dropped to 3-3. Georgia has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with Clemson and extended its lead in the series to 31-19.

 

In doubles, Georgia’s No. 3 team of Katarina Jokic and Mariana Gould were first off the court, posting a 6-0 shutout of Daniela Ruiz and Laura Marti. The 24th-ranked Bulldog duo improved to 15-3 on the year including 3-0 in dual matches. At that point, the other two matches were knotted at three. After nine games, Georgia led 5-4 in the No. 1 contest and trailed 5-4 at No. 2.

 

Georgia’s top duo of Elena Christofi and Morgan Coppoc, ranked sixth nationally, clinched the team point with a 7-5 win over Marie Alexander Leduc and Fernanda Navarro. The Christofi-Coppoc tandem is 11-5 overall. The No. 2 match of Annette Goulak and Kennedy Shaffer versus Ally Miller-Krasilnikov and Tate Schroeder was halted at 5-all with the team point determined.

 

“It was great to get another indoor match here along with a victory as we now get set for the National Indoors,” said Georgia coach Jeff Wallace. “The doubles were close at No. 1 and 2, and I thought our focus was good on all the courts. Marta (Gonzalez) had the toughest singles match, and she found a way to win a 10-point tiebreaker. We played at a high level, and we’ll need that next week as we head to Madison for the Indoors.”

 

In the No. 1 singles contest, 12th-ranked Jokic claimed the first set over 20th-ranked Leduc 6-2 and then the Tiger retired due to an injury for a 2-0 Bulldog lead. Jokic ran her record to 22-3 on the season. Christofi made it 3-0 with a 6-1,6-2 victory over Ruiz in the No. 4 contest. Shaffer clinched the win for the Bulldogs with a 6-2,6-3 decision over Navarro in the No. 2 match. Coppoc defeated Krasilnikov 6-4,6-3 at No. 5 and moments later Annette Goulak dispatched Marti 6-1,6-1 to make it 6-0. The final match to be completed involved Gonzalez and Schroeder at No. 3. After splitting sets, they opted to play a 10-point super tiebreaker in lieu of a third set. Gonzalez completed the sweep with a 5-7,6-3,1-0(10-6) win over Gonazalez.

 

After the match, Coppoc was asked about the team’s chemistry in their latest victory.

 

“I think when you play together, you’re a much stronger team, and I think of a team as an army,” said Coppoc. “If they’re all doing their own thing, they’re not really connected and obviously that is a very weak army. But we’re together, and I feel like we’re all on the same page. I feel like we just know what to do and when the matches are close or when they’re not, I feel like we’re just all on the same page.”

 

The Bulldogs return to action Friday, Feb. 9 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis. The event features a 16-team field of the nation’s top teams, and the draw will be released next week.

 

Saturday’s Match Results

 
No. 4 Georgia defeats Clemson 7-0
 

Match Notes:
 
Clemson 3-3; Georgia 3-0; National ranking #4

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

Official: Karen Badger-Mabry T-3:06 A-485

 

Singles:
 
1. #12 Katarina Jokic (UGA) def. #20 MarieAlexandre Leduc (CU) 6-2, retired

2. Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Fernanda Navarro (CU) 6-2, 6-3

3. #51 Marta Gonzalez (UGA) def. Tate Schroeder (CU) 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-6)

4. Elena Christofi (UGA) def. Daniela Ruiz (CU) 6-1, 6-2

5. #55 Morgan Coppoc (UGA) def. A. Krasilnikov (CU) 6-4, 6-3

6. Annette Goulak (UGA) def. Laura Marti (CU) 6-1, 6-1

 

Doubles:
 
1. #6 Elena Christofi/Morgan Coppoc (UGA) def. MarieAlexandre Leduc/Fernanda Navarro (CU) 7-5

2. Annette Goulak/Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) vs. A. Krasilnikov/Tate Schroeder (CU) 5-5, unfinished

3. #24 Katarina Jokic/Mariana Gould (UGA) def. Daniela Ruiz/Laura Marti (CU) 6-0