Tennis Doesn't Back Down at No. 1 Grizzlies
By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Both tennis teams traveled to Georgia Gwinnett on Monday and wrapped up the regular season with non-conference slugfests against the No. 1 Grizzlies on their home courts.
The third-ranked men (8-2) nearly pulled off a huge upset in a 4-3 defeat, while the 21st-ranked women's squad dropped a 6-1 decision.
On the men's side, the Eagles took the early lead after gaining a 1-0 advantage in doubles play thanks to wins by Artem Vasheshnikova/Martin Mendoza (6-4) and Sam Alexander/Jordi Puig Molina (6-4) on lines one and two.
The nation's No. 1 group would rally in a big way – and take four-consecutive single outings – to secure the victory. Reinhardt didn't stop fighting, however, as it saw Vasheshnikova win, 6-4, 7-5, in the top spot and Mendoza be triumphant on the second court, 6-7, 7-5 (10-3).
Georgia Gwinnett would have a little bit of an easier time on the women's side of the net, as the host got off on the right foot with the doubles win, 2-1, for the one-point advantage.
The victory for the visitors (6-6) came on line two with the duo of Stephanie Fernandez and Tayla Kruger, 7-6.
The Grizzlies looked strong in singles action as they scored five-straight positive outcomes after Fernandez grabbed the lone point for her bunch following a retirement in the No. 1 contest after a set one score of 6-3.
Additionally, the brackets for the 2021 Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's and Women's Tennis Championships are out, and Reinhardt is the No. 1 seed for the men with Union (Ky.) taking the top spot for women.
The tournament will be played at the Champions Club Tennis Complex in Chattanooga, Tenn. The tournaments begin on Wednesday and conclude on Saturday.
Reinhardt, Tennessee Wesleyan and Union all finished with a 5-1 conference record and are regular-season co-champions. The Eagles, however, earned the No. 1 seed since they won the most points in the matches against Tennessee Wesleyan and Union.
Tennessee Wesleyan is the No. 2 seed as it had the next highest point total, putting Union third.
Here are the complete men's seedings:
- Reinhardt
- Tennessee Wesleyan
- Union
- Point
- Montreat
- Milligan
- SCAD-Atlanta
Here is the tournament schedule for the men:
Thursday, April 15 - All matches begin at 10 a.m.
Match 1 - No. 2 Tennessee Wesleyan vs. No. 7 SCAD-Atlanta
Match 2 - No. 3 Union vs. No. 6 Milligan
Match 3 - No. 4 Point vs. No. 5 Montreat
Friday, April 16 - All matches begin at 10 a.m.
Match 4 - No. 1 Reinhardt vs. Match 3 Winner
Match 5 - Match 1 Winner vs. Match 2 Winner
Saturday, April 17 - Match begins at 10 a.m.
Match 6 - Championship Match - Match 4 Winner vs. Match 5 Winner
On the women's side, Union went 8-0 in conference play to capture the regular-season championship and No. 1 seed. Here are the women's tournament seeds:
- Union
- Montreat
- Tennessee Wesleyan
- Reinhardt
- SCAD-Atlanta
- Brenau
- Milligan
- Point
- Bluefield
Here is the women's tournament schedule:
Wednesday, April 14 - Match begins at 4 p.m.
Match 1 - No. 8 Point vs. No. 9 Bluefield
Thursday, April 15 - All Matches begin no earlier than 2 p.m.
Match 2 - No. 1 Union vs. Match 1 Winner
Match 3 - No. 2 Montreat vs. No. 7 Milligan
Match 4 - No. 3 Tennessee Wesleyan vs. No. 6 Brenau
Match 5 - No. 4 Reinhardt vs. No. 5 SCAD-Atlanta
Friday, April 16 - All Matches begin no earlier than 2 p.m.
Match 6 - Match 2 Winner vs. Match 5 Winner
Match 7 - Match 3 Winner vs. Match 4 Winner
Saturday, April 17 - Match will begin no earlier than 2 p.m.
Match 8 - Championship Match - Match 6 Winner vs. Match 7 Winner
Fans are permitted to attend at the Champions Club, but masks must be worn at all times.
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For more information on Reinhardt Men's Tennis, please click here, and Reinhardt Women's Tennis here.