SALISBURY, N.C. – The No. 16 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's tennis team has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Southeast Regional after a dominant 4-1 showing against No. 12 Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday afternoon.
The Nighthawks started their run in the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing in doubles play, clinching the point to take an early 1-0 advantage over the Bears.
At No. 1 doubles, the dynamic duo of Anastasiia Opolska and Olesya Stokusova cruised to a 6-1 victory. The Bears got their revenge on No. 2, as Emily Bush and Linn Goerdes fell in a 6-3 decision, leaving the deciding match up to No. 3.
In a tightly contested matchup, Victoria Niox-Chateau and Sofia Giraldo battled out a 7-6 victory to clinch the doubles point and put the Nighthawks out in front.
North Georgia built on their momentum in singles play with three straight-set wins to punch their ticket to the next round.
At No. 1, Opolska came out on top with a 6-4, 7-5 victory.
At No. 5 Bush rolled to a 6-1, 6-0 decision. Niox-Chateau finished in a similar dominating fashion, downing her opponent 6-2, 6-3.
The Nighthawks (18-7, 5-2 PBC) have locked up a date with the No. 1 seed and host of their side of the bracket No. 6 Catawba for a chance to clinch a spot in the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships. The match is scheduled for tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Johnson Tennis Center.
