by Benjamin Petree, sports information student
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The No. 11 ranked Georgia College & State University Women's Tennis squad (12-1) cruised to victory at Savannah State University (3-8) Thursday, winning in a 7-0 sweep.
Kicking off the match in doubles play for the Bobcats, Sofia Shing (Auckland, New Zealand) and Shradha Chhabra (New Delhi, India) teamed up to face Sarah Joachim and Stella Ekwalla on the third line and won in a 6-0 shutout. Finishing next on the first line, the Emma Fleming (Suwanee) and Chiara Santoro (Santa Ursula, Spain) pair faced Amarlia Benn and Gabrielle Benn and took a 6-1 victory to secure the doubles point for the Bobcats. Wrapping up doubles play for the day, Jada Young (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina) and Ashton Morrison (Cumming) paired up on the second line to defeat Padmasree Murugan and Sunzahra Banks 6-3.
After the doubles win, Chhabra kicked off singles play on the sixth line defeating Ekwalla in a 6-0, 6-0 sweep. Finishing next on the fifth line, Morrison faced off against Joachim and won 6-0, 6-0 as well to put the Bobcats on the brink of victory over Savannah State. Santoro played Banks on the fourth line and won in yet another shutout to secure the match victory for the Bobcats.
Following the Bobcats victory, Shing faced Gabrielle Benn on the first line and won in yet another 6-0, 6-0 match. Fleming followed on the third line facing Murugan and posted the fifth sweep at singles for the Bobcats on the day with another 6-0, 6-0 win. Young capped off the day for the Bobcats on the second line with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Amarlia Benn. The final match score was 7-0 in favor the GCSU Women.
This marks the sixth shutout this season for GCSU Women's Tennis, and the seventh win in a row.
The Bobcats are back in action tomorrow, March 24, when they travel to face No. 8 Flagler College in a key PBC matchup. The first serve is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among public schools in Division II, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won three-straight Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.
