Kansas City, MO – The University of the Cumberlands women's tennis team moved up one spot in the latest NAIA national poll, climbing to No. 13 with 180 points following a dominant showing at the Grizzly Invitational. 

Cumberlands entered the weekend ranked 14th and delivered two statement victories in Clemson, South Carolina, improving to 4-1 on the season with a pair of 4-0 sweeps. 

The Patriots opened the day with an impressive shutout of No. 13 Georgia Gwinnett. UC secured the doubles point behind a 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles from Marina Nagai and Bryndis Rosa, along with a forfeit victory at No. 3 doubles by Victoria Zarate and Haruna Kojima. 

In singles play, the Patriots continued to dominate. Zarate earned a straight-set win at No. 3 singles (6-1, 6-4), while Mahiro Hara posted a flawless 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 5. The clinching point came at No. 6 singles, where YuFang Liu secured the win by forfeit to seal the 4-0 sweep. 

Cumberlands carried that momentum into the afternoon matchup, earning another 4-0 victory over Montreat. 

Nagai and Rosa remained undefeated on the day with a dominant 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles, while Zarate and Kojima once again claimed a forfeit victory at No. 3 to secure the doubles point. In singles action, Liu delivered a perfect 6-0, 6-0 performance at No. 3, and Eva Cancarevic matched that scoreline at No. 5. Bryndis Rosa clinched the team win at No. 6 singles via forfeit to complete the second sweep of the day. 

Within the Mid-South Conference, Cumberlands joins No. 2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), No. 22 Cumberland (Tenn.), and receiving votes Bethel (Tenn.) in the national poll, further showcasing the strength of the league. 

UC will return to the court on Friday, February 27, traveling to Jackson, Tennessee to face Mid-South Conference opponent Freed-Hardeman at 1:00 PM. 

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