Clemson, SC - The 14th-ranked University of the Cumberlands women's tennis team delivered a dominant performance on Saturday, sweeping a pair of opponents at the Grizzly Invitational. The Patriots opened the day with a 4-0 shutout over 13th-ranked Georgia Gwinnett before closing out the afternoon with another 4-0 victory against Montreat. UC improves to 4-1 on the season with the pair of wins.
Match 1: PATRIOTS SHUT OUT NO. 13 GEORGIA GWINNETT
Cumberlands wasted no time asserting control against No. 13 Georgia Gwinnett, securing the doubles point behind strong play and a forfeit.
The duo of Marina Nagai and Bryndis Rosa set the tone at No. 2 doubles with a decisive 6-1 victory. Victoria Zarate and Haruna Kojima added to the Patriots' advantage at No. 3 doubles, earning the win by forfeit to clinch the doubles point. The No. 1 doubles match featuring YuFang Liu and Mahiro Hara was left unfinished with the Patriots holding a narrow edge.
In singles play, Cumberlands continued its dominant showing. Zarate delivered an impressive straight-sets victory at No. 3 singles, defeating Minami Tan 6-1, 6-4 to extend the Patriots' lead. Hara followed with a flawless performance at No. 5 singles, blanking Maria Bonciu 6-0, 6-0.
The clinching point came at No. 6 singles, where Liu secured the victory by forfeit, sealing the 4-0 sweep over the Grizzlies.
Match 2: CUMBERLANDS CONTINUES DOMINANCE WITH 4-0 WIN OVER MONTREAT
The Patriots carried their momentum into the afternoon matchup against Montreat, once again controlling the match from the opening doubles point.
Nagai and Rosa remained undefeated on the day at No. 2 doubles, cruising to a 6-0 victory. Zarate and Kojima earned another doubles win by forfeit at No. 3, giving Cumberlands the early advantage. The No. 1 doubles pairing of Hara and Liu held the lead before their match was halted once the doubles point was secured.
In singles action, Liu delivered a commanding performance at No. 3 singles, earning a perfect 6-0, 6-0 win. Eva Cancarevic followed with a dominant showing of her own at No. 5 singles, also posting a 6-0, 6-0 victory to move the Patriots within one point of the match win.
The decisive point came via forfeit at No. 6 singles, where Bryndis Rosa secured the clinching point to complete Cumberlands' second sweep of the day.
UC will be back on the courts on Friday, February 27, where they will travel to Jackson, TN to face MSC opponent Freed-Hardeman at 1:00 PM.
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