By McKenzie Julian, Sports Information Student Assistant
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The No. 25 Georgia College Women's Tennis team (1-0) shut out Valdosta State University (0-1) Wednesday afternoon at the Centennial Center Tennis Facility, 7-0.
The team secured the one-point lead after three winning each of the three doubles matches.
Sophomore Emilia Richter (Berlin, Germany) and senior Valeria Lopez (Galicia, Spain) started the season on a winning note, beating Estee Widdershoven and Eva Rivoal 6-2. Senior Paula Garriga (Centelles, Spain) and freshman Jordan Bowie (Macon) followed suit with a tight 7-6 win over Daniella Barta and Hera Brynjarsdottir. Finally, the pairing of Emma Fleming (Suwanee) and Kim Yatribi (Frejus, France) finished off the doubles sweep with a dominant 6-1 victory over Birte Langestein and Amelia Cornwall.
Transfer Yatribi from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette started off the singles matches, increasing the Bobcat team lead to 2-0. Yatribi bested Langestein with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 win, failing to drop a single point in her match.
Continuing the winning trend was Garriga with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Brynjarsdottir in fourth singles. In the first slot, Richter again had a strong showing with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Widdershoven. Richter's match victory secured the overall team victory with Georgia College's fourth total point.
Next up, Lopez cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Barta and Bowie overmatched her opponent Cornwall with a smashing 6-1, 6-0 win. Fleming finished off the day with a win, securing the total sweep. Although she dropped her first set against Rivoal, Fleming fought back to claim the victory, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (11-9).
After starting their season off with a key non-conference win, the Bobcat women return to the courts at home against Brenau University Friday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the 2017 PBC Sportsmanship Institution of the Year, 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 Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.
