Friday, March 8
Athens, Ga.
3 P.M.
University of Georgia
vs
LSU
#2 Bulldogs Get Two Top-25 Teams in First SEC Home Weekend
March 07, 2019 | Women's Tennis
#2 Georgia Faces Two Top-25 Teams This Weekend
ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 2-ranked Georgia women's tennis team will open its Southeastern Conference home slate at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex this weekend with a matchup against No. 15 LSU on Friday, and then face No. 21 Texas A&M on Sunday.
The Bulldogs (9-0) are in the midst of their best start since 2007, and look to extend their win streak to double digits, while both visiting squads enter weekend play with six-match winning streaks.
The match against the Tigers (12-2) is a Friday 3 p.m. matinee with the first 200 attendees set to receive a bobblehead of Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace. 'Pickleball Sundays' makes its debut prior to the Texas A&M (14-1) match, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. Pickleball groups will play pre-match on the Georgia courts and the first 50 players will receive a t-shirt.
"LSU has a really good team and they are having a really good year," Wallace said. "They will come in here like every team does against us and let it all hang out, fight, and give us everything they got. Texas A&M is going to be doing the same. Therefore, we just have to be ready for that whether we are at home or on the road. It is always going to be a challenge, and I think our players have been really working hard to be ready for it."
Since Georgia's ITA Indoor Title last month, the Bulldogs swept Georgia Tech two weeks ago and Tennessee in last week's SEC opener. Sophomore Katarina Jokic still holds the nation's top ITA singles ranking, leading Georgia with a 17-2 overall record, which currently features a seven-match win streak. Four more ranked Bulldogs are in the singles lineup with junior Marta Gonzalez (No. 16), sophomore Vivian Wolff (No. 35), freshman Lourdes Carle (No. 92) and freshman Meg Kowalski (No. 95).
The Bulldogs' doubles lineup has seen a transformation in the past two matches and the results have yielded back-to-back points. Jokic and Carle, who just picked up their first ITA ranking at No. 74, are 1-0 at No. 1 doubles. Wolff and junior Elena Christofi in their only two career matches together are 2-0 with both point clinchers. Lastly, Gonzalez and Kowalski paired up for their first dual match versus the Volunteers and were first off the court with a win.
Georgia's new-look doubles will get a stern test against the Tigers who have taken the doubles point in 11-of-13 chances and contain the nation's No. 3-ranked tandem in Eden Richardson and Jessica Golovin. Richardson and Golovin are 9-1 in dual play and have won seven-straight. After doubles, the first singles court is projected to be a matchup between two reigning SEC All-Freshman Team recipients, Jokic and No. 15-ranked Richardson.
The Aggies sport a lineup without a single upperclassmen, but that hasn't stopped them from taking the doubles point at a high rate either – 11-of-14. Texas A&M's top twosome of Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith are ranked No. 31 and have a 14-4 overall mark. Goldsmith, a freshman, is their lone ranked singles player at No. 100 and plays on court two, which aligns with Georgia's Gonzalez.
For the latest on Georgia women's tennis, follow the team on Twitter (@UGAWomensTennis), Instagram (@ugawomenstennis) and on Facebook (UGA Women's Tennis).
The Bulldogs (9-0) are in the midst of their best start since 2007, and look to extend their win streak to double digits, while both visiting squads enter weekend play with six-match winning streaks.
The match against the Tigers (12-2) is a Friday 3 p.m. matinee with the first 200 attendees set to receive a bobblehead of Georgia head coach Jeff Wallace. 'Pickleball Sundays' makes its debut prior to the Texas A&M (14-1) match, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. Pickleball groups will play pre-match on the Georgia courts and the first 50 players will receive a t-shirt.
"LSU has a really good team and they are having a really good year," Wallace said. "They will come in here like every team does against us and let it all hang out, fight, and give us everything they got. Texas A&M is going to be doing the same. Therefore, we just have to be ready for that whether we are at home or on the road. It is always going to be a challenge, and I think our players have been really working hard to be ready for it."
Since Georgia's ITA Indoor Title last month, the Bulldogs swept Georgia Tech two weeks ago and Tennessee in last week's SEC opener. Sophomore Katarina Jokic still holds the nation's top ITA singles ranking, leading Georgia with a 17-2 overall record, which currently features a seven-match win streak. Four more ranked Bulldogs are in the singles lineup with junior Marta Gonzalez (No. 16), sophomore Vivian Wolff (No. 35), freshman Lourdes Carle (No. 92) and freshman Meg Kowalski (No. 95).
The Bulldogs' doubles lineup has seen a transformation in the past two matches and the results have yielded back-to-back points. Jokic and Carle, who just picked up their first ITA ranking at No. 74, are 1-0 at No. 1 doubles. Wolff and junior Elena Christofi in their only two career matches together are 2-0 with both point clinchers. Lastly, Gonzalez and Kowalski paired up for their first dual match versus the Volunteers and were first off the court with a win.
Georgia's new-look doubles will get a stern test against the Tigers who have taken the doubles point in 11-of-13 chances and contain the nation's No. 3-ranked tandem in Eden Richardson and Jessica Golovin. Richardson and Golovin are 9-1 in dual play and have won seven-straight. After doubles, the first singles court is projected to be a matchup between two reigning SEC All-Freshman Team recipients, Jokic and No. 15-ranked Richardson.
The Aggies sport a lineup without a single upperclassmen, but that hasn't stopped them from taking the doubles point at a high rate either – 11-of-14. Texas A&M's top twosome of Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith are ranked No. 31 and have a 14-4 overall mark. Goldsmith, a freshman, is their lone ranked singles player at No. 100 and plays on court two, which aligns with Georgia's Gonzalez.
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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