Georgia women's tennis adds three NCAA qualifications, sends four to individual championships

Georgia women's tennis secured three additional NCAA individual championships qualifications during the ITA South Sectional Championships Nov. 5-8 in Knoxville, Tennessee, adding two singles qualifiers and one doubles team to its national championship field. Ranah Stoiber and Patricija Paukstyte earned singles qualifications Saturday at the ITA South sectional championships, while Paukstyte and Bella Payne secured a doubles berth Sunday with a three-set victory over Florida State. Stoiber defeated Indiana's Hi’ilani Williams 6-1, 6-2 in the singles quarterfinals to secure her NCAA spot. Paukstyte followed with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Florida State's Mary Boyce Deatherage. Georgia's Linea Bajraliu also competed in the singles quarterfinals but fell to Pepperdine's Anastasiia Grechkina 6-2, 7-6(4). In doubles, Paukstyte and Payne advanced to the semifinals Friday after defeating Florida State's Joanna Kennedy and Laura Putz 6-1, 6-2. The pair then fell to Vanderbilt's Mia Yamakita and Erin Pearce 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday, sending them to Sunday's playoff for the final NCAA qualifying spot. The Bulldogs secured the berth with a dramatic 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (13-11) victory over Florida State's Ariana Gilbert and Nicole Okhtenberg. After dropping the opening set, Paukstyte and Payne rallied to win the second before taking the deciding tiebreaker by a narrow margin. The victory completed Georgia's NCAA qualification efforts for the fall, giving the Bulldogs four players competing in both singles and doubles at the national championships. Georgia will be represented by Stoiber, Paukstyte, Payne and Emma Dong at the NCAA individual championships Nov. 17-22 in Athens. Dong and Payne originally secured singles qualifications at the ITA Southeast regional championships in October after advancing to the singles final. Dong and Stoiber also qualified for doubles after winning the regional championship. Stoiber and Paukstyte added singles qualifications at the ITA South sectional championships, while Paukstyte and Payne earned the additional doubles berth Sunday. Georgia will host the NCAA Individual Championships at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, giving the Bulldogs an opportunity to compete for individual national titles on their home courts.