GREENSBORO, N.C. - UNCG women's tennis put a close to the SoCon regular season with a win this Wednesday, taking down visiting Mercer by a score of 4-3 on the Spartans' senior day. UNCG athletics commemorated the careers of five Spartan seniors before this week's match against the Bears, as Sophia Adams, Eugenia Camacho, Tayah Cross, Brianna Gomez and Emily Ory competed in their final home match wearing blue and gold.

The Spartans gained the early advantage after taking two of three decisions in doubles for the first team point of the day. UNCG conceded a 6-2 final on court three, but grabbed back-to-back wins on courts one and two. Sophia Adams and Hanna Giddings dispatched the Bears' top pairing by a score of 6-2 for their second straight win as a duo, while Juliana Craft and Brianna Gomez' 6-4 victory at court two completed the Spartans' doubles win.

The visitors responded promptly at the start of singles, receiving straight-set wins at the No. 2 and the No. 6, but a 6-3, 6-2 victory for Eugenia Camacho on court five evened things at two points apiece. 

UNCG took two of the remaining three points to win the day. Giddings put away the Mercer No. 3 in a quick 6-1 decision in set one, before outlasting her opponent in a 7-5 final in the second to complete her team-best ninth individual win of the season. 

After defeating Mercer's top singles competitor 7-5 in the opening frame, Brianna Gomez was forced to win a tie-breaker on court one in set two. The senior came out on top 8-6 in that deciding run of play to give her team the fourth and match-clinching point. 

UNCG's win over the Bears is the program's final SoCon matchup of the 2021 spring, but the side will put a wrap on the season this Saturday at Richmond, facing the Spiders in a 2 p.m. first serve.

*The Spartan senior class has combined for 23 match wins since the 2017-18 campaign, while fifth-year seniors Adams and Camacho have been a part of 26 since their freshman season in the spring of 2017. As a team, Spartan women's tennis was one of three UNCG programs to receive the NCAA Academic Progress Rate Public Recognition honor this past summer, while Adams and Cross both collected ITA Scholar-Athlete recognitions. Four of the Spartans' seniors honored this Wednesday were named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll last year, with Cross garnering the Southern Conference Commissioner's Medal. 

Singles Competition
1. Brianna Gomez (UNCG) def. Mary Courville (MER) 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)
2. Alara Hollyfield (MER) def. Sophia Adams (UNCG) 6-2, 6-2
3. Hanna Giddings (UNCG) def. Lauren Rich (MER) 6-1, 7-5
4. Lekha Varudandi (MER) def. Emily Ory (UNCG) 7-5, 1-6, 6-2
5. Eugenia Camacho (UNCG) def. Kristin Yordanova (MER) 6-3, 6-2
6. Ashley Popham (MER) def. Tayah Cross (UNCG) 6-1, 6-2

Doubles Competition
1. Sophia Adams/Hanna Giddings (UNCG) def. Alara Hollyfield/Lauren Rich (MER) 6-2
2. Juliana Craft/Brianna Gomez (UNCG) def. Kristin Yordanova/Ericka Chavarria (MER) 6-4
3. Lekha Varudandi/Mary Courville (MER) def. Tayah Cross/Emily Ory (UNCG) 6-2

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