By Sean Montgomery, Sports Information Assistant
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The No. 13 Georgia College Women's Tennis team (3-3, 2-1 PBC) clinched their second Peach Belt Conference (PBC) victory in as many days Saturday, defeating Clayton State University (1-3, 0-2 PBC) 8-1 at the Centennial Center Tennis Facility.
The Georgia College women jumped out to an early lead, snagging two-out-of-three victories in doubles play.
The third-slot doubles pair of Macy Polk (Powder Springs) and Hannah Serdinia (Suwanee) clinched the initial win for the Bobcats, defeating Alina Ageichik and Carolina Monterrubio, 8-4. Teammates Jena Kelly (Lawrenceville) and Katie Krupp (Evans) finished right behind in the second slot with a win of their own, as they cruised to an 8-1 final score over Darina Drozdova and Maria Mendes.
The only Bobcat loss on the day came in first-slot doubles. Camille Clausse-Pujo (Bordeaux, France) and Kristen Jones (Marietta) could not overcome a slow start and fell to Raluca Pavel and Kristiin Mets, 8-3.
With a slim 2-1 lead heading into singles play, the Bobcats needed to win three out of the six matches to clinch the team victory.
Junior Cristalei Polk (Powder Springs) extended Georgia College's lead right away. Finishing first in fifth-slot singles, Cristalei Polk made quick work of Ageichik, winning by a score of 6-3, 6-1 and pushing the Bobcat team lead to 3-1.
Clausse-Pujo obtained revenge in the first-slot, as she was once again matched up with Pavel. Clausse-Pujo gained the advantage early, claiming a hard-earned victory in the first set, 6-3. The second set would be much of the same, as she closed out the Laker with a 6-2 win.
Kelly sealed up the team victory for Georgia College, notching the team's fifth point by easily defeating Mendes 6-2, 6-0.
Emma Niemi (Cumming) and Jones also went on to defeat their opponents in straight sets. Niemi conquered Monterrubio 6-2, 6-1 in the sixth slot and Jones fought through a tough second-slot effort from Mets to claim the 6-1, 6-4 result.
The final match of the day was arguably the most entertaining, as the third-slot matchup of Macy Polk and Drozdova was a thriller. Each player jostled back and forth for the lead before Drozdova went on to seize the first set, 6-3. However, Macy Polk would battle back, obtaining a 6-3 advantage of her own in the second. With the match result pending on a third, the two elected to perform a 10-point tiebreak, with the victor needing to win by two. Trading point for point, the opponents found themselves locked at nine-all. With both sets of teammates watching, Macy Polk blitzed Drozdova for two consecutive points to take the tiebreak victory 11-9 and claim the match win.
Macy Polk's victory wrapped up the day for the Bobcat women, as they notched their second PBC win of the season, 8-1.
The Bobcat women's tennis team will return to action Saturday, Feb. 27 when they play host to No. 43 Dallas Baptist University at the Centennial Center Tennis Facility. Match time is set for 11 a.m.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on social media for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.
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