KEARNEY, Neb. – The No. 9 University of North Georgia women's tennis team battled back from a 3-1 deficit to take down fourth-ranked Hawaii Pacific 4-3 in the third-place match at the 2022 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II Indoor Team Championship at Nebraska-Kearney's Ernest Grundy Tennis Center.
After dropping the doubles point and the #2 singles flight, the Nighthawks faced a 2-0 deficit before
Svetlana Teterina got North Georgia on the board, taking a 6-0, 6-3 victory. Another Hawaii Pacific win followed, with UNG needing to win all three matches left to take the third-place game.
Next to finish was
Angelina Linnikova, and after dropping the first set, Linnikova found her footing finishing with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win to make it 3-2 with two left to play.
Anna Markvartova finished next, taking the first set 6-4 against Marleen Tilgner (HPU), the 10th-ranked player in NCAA DII. A second set battle finished in the tiebreaker with Linnikova outlasting Tilgner to complete a 6-4, 7-6 win to square up the match.
Ashley Moinard was the final Nighthawk playing. After falling in the first set, Moinard answered back with a 6-0 win in the second set and a 7-5 win in the third to secure a 6-7, 6-0, 7-5 victory and propel the Nighthawks past Hawaii Pacific.
Head Coach Kent Norsworthy
"I've told these ladies how strong they were all semester. They finally proved it to themselves. They chipped away every round this weekend. They finished points away from making the final and finished third in our first appearance at the ITA Indoor Championship against very tough opponents. I couldn't be more proud of their resilience after the tough loss to St. Leo in the semifinals. This group works very hard, and it is starting to pay off in a big way. It is a long season ahead, but this is a huge moment for the program and something to build off the rest of the year."
Next Up
The Nighthawks will continue their momentum and set their sights on a matchup against Belmont Abbey (4-3) on Saturday (Mar. 4) at 3:00 p.m. in a neutral site match in Young Harris, Ga.
