COLUMBUS, Ga. | The 10th-ranked Columbus State University women's tennis team held off No. 36 Georgia College & State University 5-2 in a Peach Belt Conferene match Wednesday (April 16) afternoon at the John W. Walden Tennis Center.

The Cougars improved to 12-5 overall and to 4-1 in the Peach Belt, while the Bobcats fell to 13-5 and 3-3. GCSU closes out its regular season schedule Friday (April 18) with a 2 p.m. match against Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia.

After the Cougars captured the doubles point and the first singles match to open up a 2-0 lead, GCSU got a point back when Natalie Kirka won 6-4, 6-1. Columbus State took a 3-2 lead with a win at No. 4 singles before the Bobcats pulled with a point at 3-2 after Ashley Bentz earned a 7-6 (0), 6-4 win at No. 3 singles.  The Cougars won the final two matches to earn the victory.

The first NCAA Division II regional rankings came out for women's tennis earlier in the day and the Bobcats are one of 10 teams in the Southeast region under consideration for the 2025 NCAA Division II Tournament.

There will be two more published regional rankings before the final selection by the NCAA for regional play May 5. Eight teams will be selected in the Southeast region for the national tournament. In the Southeast region, the winners from the Peach Belt, South Atlantic Conference and Conference Carolinas tournaments earn automatic berths while the other five will be at-large selections based on the regional rankings.

In addition to GCSU, the other teams under consideration in the region are Augusta University, Catawba College, Coker University, Columbus State, Erskine College, Lees-McRae College, University of North Georgia and Wingate University.



About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of 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 postseason 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 or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics. 
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