College Tennis News - No. 6 Georgia edges No. 11 Women's Tennis

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Texas senior All-American Aeriel Ellis knocked off a top-10 opponent, but No. 6 Georgia (4-0) edged No. 11 Texas (3-0) by a 4-2 count Friday evening in the opening round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The Longhorns move to the tournament’s consolation bracket, where it will take on Texas A&M Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Central.

Georgia opened the match by taking two of three doubles contests to win the doubles point. The Bulldogs’ Kate Fuller and Silvia Garcia opened the doubles session with an 8-1 win over UT’s Breaunna Addison and Noel Scott at first doubles.

The match at No. 3 doubles pitted Texas’ Lina Padegimaite and Annat Rabinovich against Georgia’s Mia King and Lauren Herring. Both sides held serve through most of the match before UGA picked up a late service break and emerged with an 8-5 win to clinch the doubles point. Georgia’s Lily Kimbell and Maho Kowase held a 6-5 lead over UT’s Elizabeth Begley and Aeriel Ellis at second doubles when the match was suspended.

Georgia pushed its lead to 2-0 when UGA’s 18th-ranked Kowase defeated UT’s Addison by a 6-1, 6-1 count at second singles. Texas sliced its deficit to 2-1 behind Padegimaite’s 6-4, 6-2 win over Georgia’ King at fifth singles. The Longhorns evened the match at two when Ellis rallied for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 win at first singles over Georgia’s eighth-ranked Herring, who became the highest-ranked player to fall victim to Ellis this season.

The Bulldogs, however, took the remaining two contests to preserve the victory. Georgia’s Makenzie Craft rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Texas freshman Lana Groenvynck at sixth singles to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead.

The deciding match at fourth singles pitted UT’s Begley against Georgia’s Garcia in a lengthy two-setter. Begley dropped the first set, 7-5 and trailed 4-2 in the second set before evening the set at four games apiece. Simultaneously, UT’s Noel Scott took a 6-7, 6-3, 4-1 lead at third singles over UGA’s Fuller. But, Garcia took the two ensuing games to preserve a 7-5, 6-4 win over Begley to give Georgia the fourth and match-clinching point. Scott’s match against Fuller was suspended.

ITA National Team Indoor Championship
First Round (Round of 16)
No. 6 Georgia 4, No. 11 Texas 2
Doubles – Order of Finish: 1, 3
1 Kate Fuller/Silvia Garcia (UGA) def. Breaunna Addison/Noel Scott (UT) – 8-1
2 #22 Lily Kimbell/Maho Kowase (UGA) vs. Elizabeth Begley/Aeriel Ellis (UT) – 6-5, susp.
3 Mia King/Lauren Herring (UGA) def. Lina Padegimaite/Annat Rabinovich (UT) – 8-5
Singles – Order of Finish: 2, 5, 1, 6, 4
1 Aeriel Ellis (UT) def. #8 Lauren Herring (UGA) – 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
2 #18 Maho Kowase (UGA) def. Breaunna Addison (UT) – 6-1, 6-1
3 #79 Noel Scott (UT) vs. #54 Kate Fuller (UGA) – 6-7, 6-3, 4-1, susp.
4 Silvia Garcia (UGA) def. Elizabeth Begley (UT) – 7-5, 6-4
5 Lina Padegimaite (UT) def. Mia King (UGA) – 6-4, 6-2
6 Makenzie Craft (UGA) def. Lana Groenvynck (UT) – 3-6, 6-2, 6-3