The eighth-ranked Herring, a native of Greenville, N.C., fittingly clinched the match on her Senior Day with a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 56 Jasmine Lee on court 1. She also teamed with freshman Ellen Perez to give Georgia its first doubles win on the afternoon with an 8-2 victory on court 1.
“What an amazing career with so many accomplishments,” said head coach Jeff Wallace. “Her journey has been phenomenal and let’s hope that she’s saving the best for last. She’s really playing some great tennis right now and it was neat to see her play as well as she did in singles and doubles on Senior Day. We’ve obviously got a lot left in this season with some of the biggest stuff still in front of us, but what an amazing career and what a great athlete. I’m excited to see how it all finishes out for her.”
The 7-0 sweep was not all Herring’s doing, however, as her teammates were equally impressive on an afternoon when the Georgia Bulldogs avoided dropping a single set.
After Herring and Perez had won their doubles match on court 1, junior Silvia Garcia and freshman Kennedy Shaffer stepped up to clinch the doubles point with an 8-1 win on court 2.
Georgia then built on its advantage in singles play, with sophomore Caroline Brinson earning a rare 6-0, 6-0 sweep on court 6 to put the host Bulldogs up 2-0. Perez followed suit shortly thereafter, winning 6-1, 6-4 over No. 81 Georgiana Patrasc on court 2 before Herring stepped in to clinch the match with her 6-2, 6-2 victory over Lee.
The remaining matches were then played out, with Hannah King (6-0, 6-3), Mariana Gould (6-4, 6-0), and Kennedy Shaffer (6-1, 6-1) completing the rout with victories on courts 5, 4, and 3, respectively.
“I think the team has done a great job each month making improvements in areas we need to get better in,” said Wallace. “It’s been an exciting season and we’re looking forward to getting on the road for the next two weekends and continuing to play some high-level tennis.”
The victory over Mississippi State meant the Bulldogs went an undefeated 9-0 in matches played at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex this spring. It also means that Georgia’s current winning streak has been extended to 8 matches, its longest unbeaten run of the season.
Up next for the Bulldogs is current SEC leader Florida in Gainesville on April 10. They will then close out the regular season at South Carolina on April 12.
Singles Results
- #8 Lauren Herring (UGA) def. #56 Jasmine Lee (MSU) 6-2, 6-2
- #62 Ellen Perez (UGA) def. #81 Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) 6-1, 6-4
- #58 Kennedy Shaffer (UGA) def. Martina Frantova (MSU) 6-1, 6-1
- Mariana Gould (UGA) def. #124 Louise Ronaldson (MSU) 6-4, 6-0
- #79 Hannah King (UGA) def. Jennifer Brown (MSU) 6-0, 6-3
- #104 Caroline Brinson (UGA) def. Timea Guibe (MSU) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles Results
- #21 Lauren Herring/Ellen Perez (UGA) def. Martina Frantova/Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) 8-2
- #17 Kennedy Shaffer/Silvia Garcia (UGA) def. Jennifer Brown/Louise Ronaldson (MSU) 8-1
- Hannah King/Laura Patterson (UGA) vs. Timea Guibe/Naomi Tran (MSU) 6-4, unfinished
Order of Finish: Singles (6,2,1,5,4,3) Doubles (1,2)