University of Georgia Athletics
Thursday, April 12
Athens, Ga.
6 p.m.
University of Georgia
vs
Arkansas
#8 Bulldogs End Regular Season at Home
April 11, 2018 | Women's Tennis
#8 Bulldogs End Regular Season at Home
ATHENS, Ga. – Capping the 2018 regular season schedule, the eighth-ranked Georgia women's tennis team plays host to No. 49 Arkansas and Missouri on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
The match against the Razorbacks (6-14, 2-9 SEC) is scheduled for 6 p.m., while the Bulldogs face the Tigers (11-14, 0-11 SEC) at 11 a.m. Georgia (13-5, 8-3 SEC) honors its three seniors – Mariana Gould, Laura Patterson, and Kennedy Shaffer – Saturday for Senior Day, starting approximately at 10:40 a.m.
"We're excited to finish the regular season at home with a couple of SEC matches after a long road trip last week to Mississippi," said Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace. "We're looking forward to honoring our three seniors, Mariana, Laura and Kennedy, on Saturday. Senior Day is always a special day, and we hope to see our fans at both matches."
The Bulldogs are coming off a weekend in which they went 1-1. The Thursday match against No. 9 Ole Miss – now No. 6 – needed three third-set singles matches to determine the winner as the Bulldogs fell 4-3. Rain Saturday in Starkville, Miss., postponed Georgia's match versus Mississippi State until Monday, elongating the trip. In the matchup of the Bulldogs, Georgia claimed its eighth shutout of the year, including the fifth in the Southeastern Conference.
"As a team we're focused on peaking at the right time during the end of season," added Wallace. "That's when you're winding down and want to be playing your best tennis. I felt good coming off our last match, and we just need to keep that model going."
For the latest on Georgia women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter (@UGAWomensTennis), Instagram (@ugawomenstennis) and on Facebook (UGA Women's Tennis).
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Inside the Series
Arkansas
Overall | Georgia leads, 29-3
First Meeting | 1983
Last ARK win | 2008
Streak | UGA 10 wins in a row
Last Match | Now-volunteer coach Caroline Brinson clinched the 4-0 win in Fayetteville.
Missouri
Overall | Georgia leads, 6-0
First Meeting | 2012
Last MIZ win | N/A
Streak | UGA 6 wins in a row
Last Match | Gould-Shaffer-Brinson completed the fourth straight sweep of the 2017 schedule
Senior Tribute
Each of the three Georgia seniors that we celebrate Saturday spent their entirety of their four-year collegiate careers donning the red and black. In their freshman season, the trio aided the Bulldogs' run to the ITA National Team Indoor Finals, the SEC Tournament Championship Final, and the NCAA Final Four. The next two years saw two semifinalist finishes in the National Indoors and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. In their span at Georgia, the Bulldogs have gone 78-23 overall and 41-9 in the SEC. Collectively, they hold three ITA All-America awards, six All-SEC honors, and an ITA Scholar Athlete distinction. They look to close out the season strong in the SEC Tournament next week in Knoxville, and extend Georgia's streak of playing in the NCAA Tournament to 32 straights years.
Razorback/Tiger Scout
Sophomore Giulia Pairone, ranked 51st, leads the Razorbacks with a 10-5 dual record. Also ranked on the singles side is junior Ana Oparenovic, No. 83, on the second court. In doubles, Oparenovic pairs with Tatum Rice to make up the 37th ranked duo in the nation.
The Tigers' strength lies with sophomore Mackenzy Middlebrooks, holding a 14-4 dual record including a 9-0 mark on court three. In doubles, Middlebrooks joins with freshman Ellie Wright on court three, going 16-4.
Individual Notes
This past weekend senior Mariana Gould went 2-0 in singles and 1-0 doubles. She holds a team-best 9-1 conference record in singles play and has been the first off the court in the last three matches. The senior is in the midst of a six-match win streak. In singles, Morgan Coppoc also improved her winning streak to six matches and is undefeated in SEC play.
Closer Look at Doubles
Out of Georgia's 18 dual matches, the Bulldogs have taken the doubles point in all but three matches (Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss).
The Bulldogs have lost just eight individual dual doubles matches (31-8 with 15 unfinished). Georgia is the one of four schools that has two doubles teams ranked in ITA's top-20. Duke, UCLA, North Carolina, and Vanderbilt join the Bulldogs in this distinction.
The match against the Razorbacks (6-14, 2-9 SEC) is scheduled for 6 p.m., while the Bulldogs face the Tigers (11-14, 0-11 SEC) at 11 a.m. Georgia (13-5, 8-3 SEC) honors its three seniors – Mariana Gould, Laura Patterson, and Kennedy Shaffer – Saturday for Senior Day, starting approximately at 10:40 a.m.
"We're excited to finish the regular season at home with a couple of SEC matches after a long road trip last week to Mississippi," said Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace. "We're looking forward to honoring our three seniors, Mariana, Laura and Kennedy, on Saturday. Senior Day is always a special day, and we hope to see our fans at both matches."
The Bulldogs are coming off a weekend in which they went 1-1. The Thursday match against No. 9 Ole Miss – now No. 6 – needed three third-set singles matches to determine the winner as the Bulldogs fell 4-3. Rain Saturday in Starkville, Miss., postponed Georgia's match versus Mississippi State until Monday, elongating the trip. In the matchup of the Bulldogs, Georgia claimed its eighth shutout of the year, including the fifth in the Southeastern Conference.
"As a team we're focused on peaking at the right time during the end of season," added Wallace. "That's when you're winding down and want to be playing your best tennis. I felt good coming off our last match, and we just need to keep that model going."
For the latest on Georgia women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter (@UGAWomensTennis), Instagram (@ugawomenstennis) and on Facebook (UGA Women's Tennis).
##
Inside the Series
Arkansas
Overall | Georgia leads, 29-3
First Meeting | 1983
Last ARK win | 2008
Streak | UGA 10 wins in a row
Last Match | Now-volunteer coach Caroline Brinson clinched the 4-0 win in Fayetteville.
Missouri
Overall | Georgia leads, 6-0
First Meeting | 2012
Last MIZ win | N/A
Streak | UGA 6 wins in a row
Last Match | Gould-Shaffer-Brinson completed the fourth straight sweep of the 2017 schedule
Senior Tribute
Each of the three Georgia seniors that we celebrate Saturday spent their entirety of their four-year collegiate careers donning the red and black. In their freshman season, the trio aided the Bulldogs' run to the ITA National Team Indoor Finals, the SEC Tournament Championship Final, and the NCAA Final Four. The next two years saw two semifinalist finishes in the National Indoors and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. In their span at Georgia, the Bulldogs have gone 78-23 overall and 41-9 in the SEC. Collectively, they hold three ITA All-America awards, six All-SEC honors, and an ITA Scholar Athlete distinction. They look to close out the season strong in the SEC Tournament next week in Knoxville, and extend Georgia's streak of playing in the NCAA Tournament to 32 straights years.
Razorback/Tiger Scout
Sophomore Giulia Pairone, ranked 51st, leads the Razorbacks with a 10-5 dual record. Also ranked on the singles side is junior Ana Oparenovic, No. 83, on the second court. In doubles, Oparenovic pairs with Tatum Rice to make up the 37th ranked duo in the nation.
The Tigers' strength lies with sophomore Mackenzy Middlebrooks, holding a 14-4 dual record including a 9-0 mark on court three. In doubles, Middlebrooks joins with freshman Ellie Wright on court three, going 16-4.
Individual Notes
This past weekend senior Mariana Gould went 2-0 in singles and 1-0 doubles. She holds a team-best 9-1 conference record in singles play and has been the first off the court in the last three matches. The senior is in the midst of a six-match win streak. In singles, Morgan Coppoc also improved her winning streak to six matches and is undefeated in SEC play.
Closer Look at Doubles
Out of Georgia's 18 dual matches, the Bulldogs have taken the doubles point in all but three matches (Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Ole Miss).
The Bulldogs have lost just eight individual dual doubles matches (31-8 with 15 unfinished). Georgia is the one of four schools that has two doubles teams ranked in ITA's top-20. Duke, UCLA, North Carolina, and Vanderbilt join the Bulldogs in this distinction.
Players Mentioned
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