MOBILE, Ala. – The Georgia Gwinnett College women’s tennis team is one step away from another NAIA national championship following a commanding 5-0 victory against No. 4-seeded William Carey University (Miss.) in Friday’s semifinals of the 2019 NAIA Women’s Tennis National Championships at the Mobile Tennis Center.
The No. 1-seeded Grizzlies (19-1) picked up three impressive wins in doubles action to grab early momentum in the match. Junior Emerald Able and sophomore Madeline Bosnjak won all eight games before the senior duo of Maria Prados Cid and Henar Munoz registered an 8-4 victory at No. 2 doubles.
Junior Gabrielle Robinson and freshman Tereza Koplova also won by an 8-4 score to round out the winners in doubles action.
“Our play in doubles has been huge,” said Head Coach Chase Hodges. “No. 1 and No. 2 teams played extremely well. Gabby and Tereza gave us a huge point for a 3-0 lead. That point gave us the momentum to finish the match in a timely manner.”
Robinson and Koplova bounced back from losing a match in Thursday’s quarterfinal match against Brenau University (Ga.) – the only point the Grizzlies have lost in three matches at this year’s nationals.
Koplova credits the duo’s positive energy as a key factor in winning the last few games of the match and capturing the team’s third doubles point.
“Gabby was better at the net and I was more confident from the back of the court. We just played a better match today,” said Koplova.
Meanwhile, the NAIA’s top two ranked singles players, Bosnjak and Able, made quick work of their opponents. Able won all nine games on the No. 2 court before her opponent had to retire after suffering an injury. Then, Bosnjak cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 victory on the No. 1 court for the team’s fifth and deciding point of the match.
“A one-two punch has been our approach in doubles and I remained focused in my singles match to get the point for the team,” stated Able. “We are excited for tomorrow. We won it last year and have one new girl (Tereza Koplova), so we want to get her a national championship.”
GGC has won 15 straight matches in the national tournament and has reached the final match during each of its six seasons of postseason eligibility. The Grizzlies will be seeking the program’s fifth national title on Saturday.
“We have played some quick matches so far this week. We should be fresh tomorrow. We definitely put in the least amount of court work time than any team down here,” said Hodges.
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College plays No. 2-seeded Keiser University (Fla.) for the 2019 NAIA Women’s Tennis national championship on Saturday, May 18, at 2 p.m. from Mobile, Ala.