Georgia Women's Tennis sweeps Mississippi State

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The sixth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated the No. 42-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs 4-0 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on Friday afternoon to advance to a semifinal showdown against the winner of the Texas A&M vs. LSU match on Saturday at noon.

The Bulldogs (19-5) won the doubles point and earned singles wins from senior Lauren Herring, junior Silvia Garcia, and sophomore Caroline Brinson to complete the 4-0 sweep.

"We were really fresh and rested while Mississippi State spent half the night out playing tennis [in their 4-3 victory over South Carolina that was delayed because of rain]," said head coach Jeff Wallace. "So, I think it was important for us to come out with a bunch of energy and get big starts and make it a mountain to climb for them."

Georgia got the start it needed in doubles play as courts 1 and 2 finished almost simultaneously in its favor. Herring and freshman Ellen Perez won 8-5 on court 1 just seconds before freshman Kennedy Shaffer hit a winner to land the clinching 8-5 victory for her and Garcia on court 2.

In singles play, sophomore Caroline Brinson jumped out to a quick 6-2, 6-1 victory on court 5 that doubled Georgia's lead, while Garcia won 6-3, 6-2 on court 2 to put the Bulldogs on the brink of victory. Herring then stepped up to close out court 1 with a 6-3, 6-0 win that clinched the 4-0 victory for Georgia.

The Bulldogs will resume play at the Carolina Tennis Center tomorrow at noon in the semifinals. Live scoring and an updated tournament bracket can be found by clicking the links below.