Jaguar Women’s Tennis NewsTwelfth Place NJCAA National Tournament 2012
2000 NJCAA National Champion
Jaguars land No. 12 (tie) in nation
In its most successful campaign in recent memory, the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team returned to the national tournament for the first time in years and finished among the top teams.
The No. 12 Jaguars: front row, from left, Ashley Andry, Idia Amen, Nea Krpo; back row, head coach Reda Nait Omar, Salma Dahbi, Asia Boyd, Sadia Mayou, assistant coach Miranda Foley; not shown, Alexia Alleyne. Photos/Bill Roa
Freshman ace Idia Amen won three matches and advanced to the third flight singles semifinals, helping the Jaguars to a 12th-place tie in last week’s National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 national tournament in Tyler, Texas.
Georgia Perimeter, coached by Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar and assistant coach Miranda Foley, tallied a total of 17 points in singles and doubles flights, tying for 12th place with Eastern Arizona College.
“The team had an excellent season,” Nait Omar said. “But their draws were not to our benefit. And I expected some of them to do better.”
Twenty-nine teams competed in the five-day tournament, which host Tyler Junior College won—the third consecutive national championship for the Apaches. State College of Florida finished in second place.
Georgia Perimeter’s NJCAA Region 17 rival, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, finished in 11th place with 17.5 points.
Complete results can be found at the tournament website.
Amen, a freshman, was seeded seventh in the No. 3 singles pre-tournament rankings, and she defeated the third seed in the quarterfinals. But after winning matches in “round of 32,” “sweet 16,” and quarterfinals (“elite eight”), Amen finally met her match in the final four.
Idia Amen won three matches, advancing to the No. 3 singles semifinals.
She fell to No. 2 seed Lai Wei (State College of Florida) 6-4, 6-1. Wei went on to win the No. 3 singles championship.
“Idia Amen really did a great job in her matches,” said Nait Omar.
In No. 1 doubles, Amen and Salma Dahbi drew a first-round bye because their tandem was ranked third in the nation, the seeded bye earning two points for GPC. They entered the competition at the round of 16, defeating the top-flight duo from St. Petersburg College (Fla.). But they lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual runner-up team from State College of Florida.
In the top-flight singles competition, Dahbi reached the round of 16, where she forced the flight’s No. 1 seeded player, Diana Davitaia (Cowley County Community College, Kansas) into a third set. Davitaia eventually won the struggle, 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 and advanced to capture the national runner-up trophy.
Other Jaguars reaching the round of 16 were Sadia Mayou in No. 2 singles; fifth-seeded Mayou and Asia Boyd in No. 2 doubles and Alexia Alleyne and Ashley Andrey in No. 3 doubles.
Asia Boyd rallied to advance to the No. 5 singles consolation final.
All seven Jaguars at the tournament won at least one match in either singles or doubles. Losers in the round of 32 entered a consolation bracket, and GPC’s lower-flight players advanced there.
Boyd, seeded seventh but losing in the No. 5 singles round of 32, won three consolation matches, defeating Abraham Baldwin’s Nikki Hall in the semifinals and advancing to the final match of the bracket before losing. Boyd had bested Hall twice in matches earlier this season.
“Asia really pulled it together after the early loss and competed very well—super proud of her.” Nait Omar said.
As a result of the Jaguars’ performance at the tournament, Nait Omar was voted the NJCAA/ITA Region 17 Coach of the Year.
The results for the Jaguars, with the round in parentheses and the player’s seeding number indicated:
SINGLES FLIGHT 1: (32) Salma Dahbi d. Jennifer Ingersoll (Kaskaskia College, Ill.) 6-1, 6-0; (16) No. 2 Diana Davitaia (Cowley Co. C.C., Kansas) d. Dahbi 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.
SINGLES FLIGHT 2: (32) Sadia Mayou d. Katie Hayes (Lewis & Clark, Ill.) 6-1, 6-1; (16) No. 4 Gita Niznik (ASA College, N.Y.) d. Mayou 6-2, 6-2.
SINGLES FLIGHT 3: (32) No. 7 Idia Amen d. Katherine Downing (Itawamba C.C.) 6-1, 6-0; (16) Amen d. Jessica Halterman (Meridian C. C., Miss.) 6-1, 6-1; (Q) Amen d. No. 3 Lyudmyla Lisovska (ASA College, N.Y.) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4; (SF) No. 2 Lai Wei (State College, Fla.) d. Amen 6-4, 6-1.
SINGLES FLIGHT 4: (32) Brittany Harness (Temple College, Texas) d. Nea Krpo 6-0, 6-0.
SINGLES FLIGHT 5: (32) Jestine Arreola (Temple College, Texas) d. No. 7 Asia Boyd 7-5, 6-0.
SINGLES FLIGHT 6: (32) Leslie Martin (Meridian C.C., Miss.) d. Alexia Alleyne 6-3, 7-6 (5).
DOUBLES FLIGHT 1: (32) No. 3 Salma Dahbi/Idia Amen, bye (2 points); (16) Dahbi/Amen d. Yurina Kunishima/Greta Veinberga (St. Petersburg College, Fla.) 6-4, 6-0; (QF) No. 5 Mariana Palacios/Laurence Porry (State College of Florida) d. Dahbi/Amen 6-3, 6-2.
DOUBLES FLIGHT 2: (32) No. 5 Sadia Mayou/Asia Boyd d. Olivia Garza/Sou Weng San (College of Dupage, Ill.), withdrawal, injury; (16) Lexi Herting/Jean Ochs (Johnson Co. C.C., Kansas) d. Mayou/Boyd 7-5, 7-5.
DOUBLES FLIGHT 3: (32) Alexia Alleyne/Ashley Andry d. Olivia Cole-Encinas/Alicia Vasquez (Pima C.C., Ariz.) 6-4, 6-0; (16) No. 6 Amanda Angulo/Paula Garcia d. Alleyne/Andry 6-1, 6-2.
CONSOLATION SINGLES FLIGHT 4: (32) Krpo d. Jennifer Lee (College of Lake Co., Ill.) 6-0, 6-4; (16) Krpo, bye; (QF) Susan Nguyen (Seward Co. C.C., Kansas) d. Krpo 6-1, 6-2.
CONSOLATION SINGLES FLIGHT 5: (32) Boyd d. Victoria Wadowski (College of Dupage, Ill.) 6-4, 6-1; (16) Boyd, bye; (QF) Boyd d. Leticia Monteiro (Seward Co. C.C., Kansas) 6-4, 6-3; (SF) Boyd d. Nikki Hall (ABAC, Ga.) 7-5, 7-5; (F) Taylor Spradlin (Seminole State C.C., Fla.) d. Boyd 6-0, 6-1.
CONSOLATION SINGLES FLIGHT 6: (32) Alleyne, bye; (16) Alleyne, bye; (QF) Julia Saunders (ABAC, Ga.) d. Alleyne 6-3, 6-1.
April 27, 2012Jaguars invited to nationals; avenge region loss to ABAC
For the first time in years, the Georgia Perimeter College women’s team is heading to the NJCAA national tournament.
Sadia Mayou won her No. 2 singles match 6-2, 6-2. Photos/Bill Roa
If there were any doubts about GPC deserving its at-large bid to the nationals, they were erased Friday with a 6-3 win over rival Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College on the Dunwoody Campus.
ABAC eked out a 5-4 win in an earlier dual match, then narrowly won the Region 17 title last week by a single game point.
The Jaguars (5-4) partly avenged those setbacks, thanks to a strong showing in singles. No. 2 singles player Sadia Mayou won 6-2, 6-2 over Jordan Carter. Idia Amen upended Karen Ching at No. 3 singles 6-2, 6-3.
At No. 5, Asia Boyd beat Nikki Hall 6-4, 6-2. Alexia Alleyne, at No. 6, stifled Olivia Robbins 6-2, 6-1.
Amen collaborated with Salma Dahbi at No. 1 doubles to overwhelm Carter and Chanel Cunningham 8-0. Alleyne teamed with Ashley Andry for an 8-6 win over Hall and Robbins at No. 3.
Dahbi could not conquer rival Cunningham at No. 1 singles, losing 6-3, 6-4, while Nea Krpo was bettered by Carli Hester at No. 4, 6-1, 6-1. Mayou-Boyd were no match in doubles against Ching-Hester, bowing 8-4.
The Jaguars next head to Tyler, Texas, for the NJCAA nationals, which begin May 6.
April 21, 2012One point in No. 2 singles determines Jaguars’ fate at region
For the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team, it was agonizingly close, but no celebration, again.
The Jaguars, who lost 5-4 to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in the regular season, lost again 5-4 to their rival in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association championship match Saturday in Tifton. And it all came down to one point on a disputed call in the No. 2 singles match.
With the Jaguars down 3-2 in singles, and the ABAC crowd cheering loudly for the Fillies’ Karen Ching, Sadia Mayou produced a heroic effort to win her No. 2 singles match and avoid going into the afternoon’s doubles matches with a 4-2 disadvantage.
Several exchanges seemed to last for minutes with Mayou making some spectacular lunging returns. One close call would have won a game for Mayou late in the second set, but it went the other way.
“We lost by one point,” said GPC head coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar. “Sadia fought real well, but ABAC played good tennis. I give credit where credit is due.”
The outcome gives Abraham Baldwin, rather than GPC, a guaranteed berth in the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament, beginning May 6 in Tyler, Texas. The Jaguars, ranked 10th, await a possible at-large invitation.
Idia Amen and Asia Boyd won in straight sets for GPC. Amen, at No. 3 singles, upended Jordan Carter 6-4, 7-5, and No. 4 Boyd disposed of Nikki Hall 6-3, 6-4.
Amen joined Salma Dahbi at No. 1 doubles to defeat Carter and Chanel Cunningham 6-2, 6-3. Boyd and Mayou, at No. 2 doubles, downed Ching and Carli Hester 6-4, 6-3.
Alleyne and Ashley Andry stumbled to Hall and Olivia Robbins at No. 3 doubles 7-5, 6-3.
For the second time this season, Dahbi fell short at No. 1 singles against the formidable Cunningham 6-3, 6-3.
Alexia Alleyne, who triumphed twice Friday, lost her momentum Saturday and the No. 6 singles match to Julia Saunders 6-4, 6-0.
Friday, the Jaguars got off to a nearly perfect start at the tournament with a win over Emory at Oxford.
The Jaguars took three singles and one doubles match, with Alleyne the busiest player. She beat Griffin Murphy at No. 6 singles 6-1, 6-0, then teamed with Andry at No. 3 doubles to outlast Murphy and Taylor Stowe 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
At No. 1 singles, Dahbi was in control from the start, beating Campbell Moore 6-0, 6-0. At No. 5, Boyd tripped up Stowe 6-2, 6-1. The lone setback came at No. 4 singles, with Nea Krpo unable to close out sets in tiebreakers. She fell to Ellen Kim 7-6, 7-6. GPC, ranked 10th in the NJCAA, shut down Oxford 9-0 in the regular season.
April 19, 2012High-ranked Emory blanks Jaguars
One consoling note for the Georgia Perimeter College women’ s tennis team: The opposition at this weekend’ s NJCAA Region 17 tournament in Tifton will not approach the degree of difficulty from Thursday’ s regular season finale.
Emory University, ranked second in NCAA Division 3, downed the Jaguars 9-0 at Emory. GPC failed to win a set against the Eagles (13-4), who have six shutout victories this year.
Idia Amen, at No. 3 singles, was the most competitive Jaguars player, falling 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 to Brenna Kelly.
In the No. 1 singles match, Salma Dahbi pushed Gabrielle Clark before bowing 6-1, 6-3.
Sadia Mayou dropped a 6-2, 6-0 decision to Zahra Dawson, who claimed her 83rd singles match at Emory, second most in school history. Dawson is a four-year All-America selection.
In other singles matches, No. 4 Nea Krpo lost to Lauren Pinsky 6-1, 6-0, No. 5 Asia Boyd to Catharine Harris 6-2, 6-0, and No. 6 Alexia Alleyne to Allie Damico 6-0, 6-1.
In doubles, Dahbi-Amen and Alleyne-Ashley Andry each stumbled 8-2 to Clark-Dawson and Harris-Danielle Truitt, respectively.
The No. 2 pairing of Mayou-Boyd was blanked by Jordan Wylie and Pinsky 8-0.
The Jaguars, ranked 10th in the NCAA, begin region play Friday on the campus of No. 9 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
April 19, 2012Jaguar Journal: Lady Jags’ tourney hopes high
Jaguar Journal: Lady Jags’ tourney hopes high On April Fool’ s Day, Salma Dahbi was in no joking mood. Dahbi, Georgia Perimeter College’ s premier tennis player, struggled against Chanel Cunningham of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, losing 6-2, 6-3.
The Jaguars dropped three other singles matches that day in a 5-4 defeat that was both disappointing and encouraging, but coach “Reda” Nait Omar hones in on the result of his sophomore from Morocco as the critical outcome that afternoon.
“It wasn’ t her best day,” Nait Omar said. “But she’ s ready now, training hard.”
That bodes well for GPC, which must overcome ABAC at the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament this weekend on the Fillies’ courts in Tifton.
The tournament champion earns an automatic invitation to the National Junior College Athletic Association championship tournament, starting May 6 in Tyler, Texas
An at-large bid seems unlikely. GPC was 4-3 prior to its final dual competition Thursday at Emory University, ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Division 3.
There is cause for optimism. The Jaguars won three of four before its encounter with Emory. They were caked in rust when going against ABAC, having not played in five weeks.
Dahbi topped Cunningham last season in a grueling 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 match at GPC’ s Dunwoody courts. Going into Thursday’ s match at Emory, she was 5-1 in singles competition this year.
Nait Omar is counting on her to step up this weekend at the climax of a strong season, the setback to Cunningham notwithstanding.
“She is very competitive,” Nait Omar said. “Her competitiveness has to show right now.”
“She wants to redeem herself.”
The hallmark for No. 2 singles player Sadia Mayou has been consistency. A sophomore from Togo, Mayou was unscathed last season at 10-0. Among her 2012 season highlights was a straight-sets win at ABAC on April 1. She stood at 5-2 in singles going into Thursday’ s match.
Freshman Idia Amen of Dallas, Texas, at No. 3 singles, also won in Tifton while compiling an impressive 6-1 record prior to Thursday’s Emory visit. Her lone singles loss was at Shorter College, an NCAA Division 2 school.
Sophomore Asia Boyd of Atlanta (Dunwoody High) adds to the experience level established by Dahbi and Myou. However, the No. 4 singles player did not win her first match of the season until April 6. Nait Omar hopes her intensity and sure-handed play carries over into the regional.
“Asia is very intense,” Nait Omar said. “She runs every ball down.”
Nea Krpo of Duluth (Whitmore) fills the No. 5 singles role. GPC has gotten a recent lift at No. 6 with late arrival Alexia Alleyne from the Virgin Islands.
A midseason walk-on, Alleyne contributed with a recent win while stepping in for the usual No. 6 player, Ashley Andry of Marietta (Wheeler High).
“She is helping,” Nait Omar said of Alleyne. “She is catching on pretty quick.”
Still, the coach expressed concern that GPC might be short on the necessary depth to make inroads during the postseason, especially with ABAC’ s squad typically strong. The Fillies have lorded over the region for years.
“Most of the teams [that defeated GPC] had better depth than us,” Nait Omar said. “We can improve the depth in our women’ s program. We just don’ t have a lot.”
Uncertain with how the lower-flight players will fare, the coach has placed high expectations on his 1-2-3 punch, Dahbi, Mayou and Amen.
“If our top players perform well,” he said, “we will have a chance to win the regional. We are counting on them to win all of their matches.”
In fact, Nait Omar added, a Jaguars GCAA title would not be considered an upset to him, even though the Fillies are confirmed favorites.
His planned message to the team: “This is the time you’ ve got to go out there and compete as hard as you can.”
Nothing less will suffice.
JAGUAR JOLTS: Dahbi and Amen form a compatible No. 1 doubles team, with Dahbi excelling at the baseline and Amen on volleys. Mayou and Boyd handle No. 2 doubles, with Krpo and Andry comprise the usual pairing at No. 3. . . . Playing Emory on the eve of the regional might seem like peculiar scheduling, but Nait Omar approaches it more as a practice match. “ It will be good for the girls to keep their level up,” he said. “ Emory is very, very strong. The girls are going to get a wake-up call.” … Actually, the Jaguars awakened April 6. In wins over Central Alabama Community College that day and Emory at Oxford six days later, they took 17 of a possible 18 points. … The GCAA also serves as Region 17 of the NJCAA.
April 12, 2012GPC women blank Emory of Oxford
The Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team has found its groove. After a slow start to the season, the Jaguars were in complete control for the second straight outing and put away Emory of Oxford 9-0 Thrusday in Covington.
Following an 8-1 win last week, GPC improved to 4-3 and was never pressed, except for at No. 6 singles. Alexia Alleyne, in her second match as a Jaguar, rallied to topple Griffin Murphy 4-6, 6-2, 10-8.
In the top four singles duels, GPC won each 6-0, 6-0. Salma Dahbi, who missed the team’s last match, beat Campbell Moore. Dahbi improved her season singles record to 5-1.
Other untouchable winners were Sadia Mayou over Sajin Park, Idia Amen over Adrifi Gulati and Asia Boyd over Ellen Kim. Amen is 6-1 on the season in singles.
At No. 5, Nea Krpo had her match well in hand, beating Taylor Stowe 6-2, 6-1.
The doubles portion of the match was just as dominant for GPC. Dahbi-Amen handled Moore-Park 8-0 at No. 1 doubles. Mayou-Boyd bounced Gulati-Kin 8-2, and Ashley Andry joined Krpo to take care of Stowe-Murphy 8-1.
The Jaguars face big road tests next week—first on Thursday when they take on NCAA Division 3 member Emory University on its Atlanta campus.
Then they will make the long trip to Tifton for next weekend’ s conference tournament at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. ABAC has been the dominant, perennial tennis power in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, but on April 1 the Jags battled the Fillies to a 5-4 decision in Tifton.
The winner of the GCAA tournament goes to Tyler, Texas, on May 6 for the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament.
GPC will host Abraham Baldwin on April 27 for a regular-season GCAA match.
April 6, 2012Jaguars get individual firsts in victory
The Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team got a “double-A” charge from its No. 5 singles player Friday and upended Central Alabama Community College 8-1 at home.
Freshman Ashley Andry rallied to win her singles match after dropping the first set. Photos/Bill Roa
Sophomore Asia Boyd went three sets to get her first singles victory of the season.
Ashley Andry captured her first win at GPC—the hard way. She lost the opening set to Katelyn Lowe in a tie-breaker. Then, after breezing 6-1 in the second set, Andry closed it out by winning the third 10-8.
In posting her first singles victory of the season, Asia Boyd also was extended in three sets while also winning her finale over Mora Alcaino by 10-8.
Boyd, at No. 3, appeared headed to an easier time by taking the first set 6-0, but she dropped the second 5-7.
“Credit should go to Ashley Andry for her first win in a tiebreaker,” said GPC head coach Mohamed Nait Omar. “And to Asia Boyd, as well. She pulled off the win in a tiebreaker, too. Everyone did a great job.”
The Jaguars’ No. 1 and No. 2 singles players, Sadia Mayou and Idia Amen, won by identical 6-1, 6-0 scores. Mayou defeated Maggie Dowling and Amen overcame Qurat Rai.
Mayou and Boyd teamed in doubles to down Dowling-Rai 8-4. Amen joined Nea Krpo to squeak past Alcaino and Erin Pogue 8-6.
Alexia Alleyne’s 6-1, 6-4 setback to Pogue accounted for the Trojans’ only point. Because they did not have a No. 3 doubles or No. 6 singles entry, GPC was awarded the other two points.
The Jaguars, playing their second match this month after being idle for all of March, pulled their record to 3-3. They confront Emory at Oxford next Thursday in Covington at 4:30 p.m.
April 1, 2012Jaguars finish one point short against powerful ABAC
Sadia Mayou and Idia Amen did their part, but the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis duo could not get enough help in a tough 5-4 loss to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College on Sunday in Tifton.
Mayou and Amen won the No. 2 and 3 singles, respectively, against ABAC, a powerhouse in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. Mayou beat Karen Ching 6-3, 6-2, with Amen tripping up Jordan Carter 6-3, 6-0.
Mayou joined Asia Boyd in doubles to blank Ching and Carli Hester 8-0. Amen and Salma Dahbi had a more difficult time before outlasting Carter and Chanel Cunningham 8-5.
Abraham Baldwin has long dominated women’s tennis in the GCAA (Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association). Needing one more point for a victory against the esteemed rival, the Jaguars fell short.
In No. 1 singles, Dahbi lost to Cunningham 6-2, 6-3. Last year Dahbi defeated Cunningham in the No. 1 singles match when the teams met at GPC.
Other singles setbacks Sunday consisted of Boyd to Hester 6-0, 6-2; Nea Krpo to Nikki Hall 6-1, 6-0, and Alexia Allyene to Julia Saunders 6-1, 6-0.
Krpo and Ashley Andry succumbed to Hall and Robbins 8-1 in doubles.
The Jaguars (2-3), playing their first match since Feb. 25, have a quicker turn-around this time. They are home against Central Alabama Community College at 1 p.m. Friday on the Dunwoody Campus courts.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
February 25, 2012GPC nets second win over Coastal Georgia
One month after defeating Coastal Georgia in the season opener, the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team finally won its second match—by the same score.
Sophomore Sadia Mayou won No. 2 singles 6-0, 6-3.
Freshman Idia Amen captured her singles match 6-0, 6-3.
The Jaguars (2-2), in their long-awaited unveiling on the Dunwoody Campus, coasted over the Mariners and their short roster 8-1. In between the schools’ two encounters, GPC lost twice and had another match postponed.
The Jaguars’ big three proved untouchable.
No. 1 singles player Salma Dahbi toppled Shushine Beba 6-2, 6-2, improving her singles record to 4-0. Sadia Mayou, at No. 2, overran Elektra Hunter 6-0, 6-3. Idia Amen controlled Kristina Polakovic 6-0, 6-3.
Dahbi and Amen teamed up as the top doubles tandem and blanked Hunter-Polakovic 8-0. Mayou and Asia Boyd outlasted Beba-Victoria Holloway 8-5.
The only setback for the home squad was at No. 4 singles, with Boyd bowing to Holloway 6-4, 6-2.
Winning 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, Jaguar sophomore Salma Dahbi remains undefeated. Photos/Bill Roa
The Jaguars’ Nea Krpo and Ashley Andry were left idled when the Mariners brought only four players. They were awarded walkover wins at No. 5 and 6 singles, as well as at No. 3 doubles.
Barring the rescheduling of the postponed match with Spartanburg Methodist College, GPC will not hit the courts again for competition until April 1 against powerful Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton.
The Fillies of ABAC have long dominated the Georiga Collegiate Athletics Association in women’s tennis, but GPC has been a recent challenger. The teams will play three times this season—ABAC will visit the Jaguars on April 27 and they will meet in the GCAA tournament on April 20 in Tifton.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
February 10, 2012Jaguars fall at No. 15 Shorter; Dahbi shines in No. 1 flights
The Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team got strong showings from Salma Dahbi and Idia Amen but could not got enough support from other Jaguars in a 7-2 setback Friday at Shorter College in Rome.
The Jaguars dipped to 1-2 on the young season but they had a tough opponent on their hands. Shorter (4-1) is ranked 15th in the NAIA poll.
Dahbi took care of business in No. 1 singles, defeating Candice Laurent 7-6, 6-3. She paired up with Idia Amen in a thrilling doubles match to down Laurent and Aurelie Gaborit 9-8.
Amen also engaged in an exciting No. 3 singles encounter. She extended Aurore Beltrando before falling 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.
No. 2 singles player Sadia Mayou was tripped up by Margot Vetter 6-2, 7-5, but the remaining singles matches were one-sided in favor of the four-year school. Asia Boyd was beaten 6-0, 6-1 by Gaborit. Nea Krpo bowed to Iesha Holton 6-0, 6-1. And Ashley Andry surrendered to Alicia Gallard 6-1, 6-1.
The two doubles losses were tighter. Mayou-Boyd stumbled to Holton- Beltrando 8-3, and Krpo-Andry to Vetter-Gallard 8-2.
The Jaguars next play their home opener on Feb. 25 against Coastal Georgia, the team they beat two weeks ago.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
February 4, 2012Brenau downs Jaguars 7-2; Mayou loses first match of career
Playing against a four-year school on a windy day proved too much for the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team to handle.
The Jaguars (1-1), winning only a pair of singles matches, were tripped up by Brenau University 7-2 in Gainesville, Ga., Friday. Sophomore Sadia Mayou was a particular casualty of the day as she lost the first match of her college career.
Salma Dahbi, at No. 1, beat Maria Perdomo Medina 6-2, 6-1, while No. 3 Idia Amen defeated Hannah Thompson 6-3, 6-2.
Otherwise, it was a trying day for GPC players, some of whom could not adjust to the windy conditions, though coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar would not use the atmospheric conditions as an excuse.
At No. 2 singles Mayou lost 1-6, 3-6 to Brenau’s Lyn See Choo. Also dropping matches were No. 4 Asia Boyd (6-0, 6-0 to Eline Nagels), No. 5 Nea Krpo (6-0, 6-1 to Tiffany de Almeida) and Ashley Andry (6-0, 6-1 to Theresa Neumeyer).
The Jaguars were blanked in doubles, winning only three games. Dahbi-Amen fell to Choo-Medina 8-0, Mayou-Boyd to Nagels-Thompson 8-2 and Krpo-Andry to Neumeyer-de Almeida 8-1.
GPC returns to north Georgia next Friday for a match against Shorter College in Rome. A previously scheduled date this weekend in Spartanburg, S.C., was postponed.
January 28, 2012Jaguars open with victory at Coastal Georgia
Salma Dahbi, Sadia Mayou and Idia Amen ruled the tennis courts Saturday at College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick as Georgia Perimeter College got its season off to a smashing start.
The Jaguars won 8-1. Only six matches were contested as the Mariners dressed out four players, leading to three forfeits. GPC’s big three dropped only a combined four games in singles.
Dahbi, at No. 1, upended Elektra Hunter 6-2, 6-0. Mayou put away Sunshine Beba 6-0, 6-0, and Amen polished off Kristina Polakovic 6-1, 6-1.
Dahbi and Amen joined forces at No. 1 doubles and breezed past Hunter and Beba 8-1. Mayou and Asia Boyd overcame Polakovic and Victoria Holloway 8-5.
The Mariners avoided a shutout when Holloway beat Boyd 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 singles.
The forfeits kept GPC’s Nea Krpo and Ashley Andry on the sidelines all day. They were scheduled to play singles as well as doubles together.
The Jaguars have a busy weekend ahead, with road matches Friday against Brenau College in Gainesville and Saturday against Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist.
January 26, 2012Trio of top 20 players suggests banner season for Jaguars
Last spring, a propitious e-mail popped into the inbox of Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar. The sender was Orlando Amen, a tennis instructor in Dallas, seeking information about the Jaguars’ program on behalf of his daughter.
Idia Amen was no run-of-the-mill player. She was being recruited by four-year universities, including Georgia State and Kennesaw State.
Orlando Amen, Nigerian by birth, had heard that an instructor like himself recently entrusted a son with Omar. You might say things worked out well for that player, Salif Kante. The Senegal native is defending National Junior College Athletic Association singles and doubles champion, having taken his talents to Florida A&M University on a full tennis scholarship.
Idia, who made a quick splash at GPC with a runner-up in singles at a major fall season tournament at Clemson University, is the newest ingredient that has lifted the Jaguars to a No. 4 national preseason rating.
"Her father felt Idia would really benefit from our coaching for two years" as a steppingstone to the NCAA’s Division 1, Nait Omar said. "He knows how things work."
She joins accomplished returnees Salma Dahbi from Morocco and Sadia Mayou from Togo to give the Jaguars potentially their strongest roster since the 2000 NJCAA championship season. Invividually, the threesome is ranked in the top 20 nationally: Dahbi fourth, Mayou 13th and Amen 20th.
But, according to Nait Omar, the No. 1 singles role is up for grabs among all of them.
For Amen, he said, the test is one that applies to all freshmen -- transitioning from high school to college. In high school, Nait Omar explained, players can thrive by extending points long enough until the opponents make a mistake.
"In college, you’ve got to come with a game plan," he said.
Amen arrived with a full toolbox. "She is solid, she is tough," the coach said. "Great talent. We are working to develop it into more of a college player’s."
Sophomores Dahbi and Mayou, the standouts on last year’s team that went 5-5 in duel matches--half against four-year schools--have completed their conversion, and Nait Omar is counting on them to serve as co-leaders in the absence of Maria Casseres and Andreina Gomez. Their eligibility has expired.
"I expect Sadia and Salma will build on their confidence from last year and pass it along to teammates coming onboard," he said. "It’s their responsibility."
Both have a firm foundation on which to build. Dahbi forged a winning record last spring at No. 1 singles, while Mayou sailed through unbeaten at No. 2 and placed fourth at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships in October. Each has positioned herself to earn a scholarship from a four-year school.
"There is a lot on the line for them," Nait Omar said.
More experience is supplied by sophomore Asia Boyd of Dunwoody High School, the squad’s probable No. 4 singles player. She is especially adept at doubles.
The national rankings list Dahbi-Amen as the third best doubles tandem, with Mayou-Boyd 22nd, though Nait Omar has yet to determine the pairings.
Rounding out the roster are two newcomers from metro Atlantan, Nea Krpo of Chattahoochee High and Ashley Andry of Wheeler High.
The women’s team has not made the same inroads as the men’s in local recruting, Nait Omar believes, but foresees progress with the hiring of Miranda Foley as assistant coach. A year ago, he was a one-man staff.
With a possible national tournament berth on the horizon, the Jaguars have set a more immediate goal of breaking the stranglehold by Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in the state’s Region 17. ABAC, ranked eight in the preseason, visits the Dunwoody campus courts for GPC’s third and final home match on April 27. The rivals will duel in Tifton on April 1, then engage in the regional tournament there April 20-22.
GPC opens a season of great promise on Friday in Brunswick against College of Coastal Georgia. A rematch on Feb. 25 serves as the home debut.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
October 30, 2011Amen takes runner-up honors at Clemson
Idia Amen fell one victory short of the singles title in her flight at the Duckworth Fall Tennis Classic, bowing to Charlotte Bossy of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 6-3, 6-4 Sunday in Clemson, S.C.
Meanwhile, teammate Sadia Mayou won the consolation title in her flight. The invitational on the Clemson University campus brought together 11 women’s teams, with GPC the lone participant on the junior college level. Each flight consisted of eight players or pairs.
Amen notched one easy and one difficult win Saturday to climb into the finals of the sixth flight, beginning with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Caitlin Kitchen of Georgia Southern. She followed with a narrow win over Jessica Gardefjord from Armstrong Atlantic State 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.
Two of Gardefjord’s teammates sent the Jaguars’ Salma Dahbi and Mayou into the consolation bracket during the Saturday morning session. Dahbi was downed by Kathleen Henry 6-2, 7-5 after the GPC’s representative in the third flight led 5-2 in the second set. Mayou fell in the fifth flight to Clara Perez 6-0, 6-0.
But both Jaguars rallied in afternoon matches to attain berths in the consolation finals Sunday. Dahbi bounced Marija Dzakovic of Charleston Southern 6-2, 7-5. Mayou tripped up Taylor Jones of Georgia Southern 6-1, 6-0.
Mayou’s momentum carried her through to a 7-5, 6-2, triumph over Shaina Singh of Tennessee-Chattanooga for the title in her flight. Dahbi was not as fortunate, stumbling to Lynn See Choo of Brenau College 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 3 singles consolation match.
In Friday’s doubles matches, Dahbi and Mayou rebounded from an opening defeat, won two doubles matches and claimed fifth place among the eight duos in the second flight.
The final match was an 8-5 victory over Natalie Maffett and Ali Beeber of Georgia Southern. It was preceded by an 8-4 decision over Tess Lagerkvist and Tamara Plocker of Kennesaw State.
Earlier, Anna Winkelmann and Alice Laing of the University of Tennessee-Martin dropped the GPC pair into the consolation bracket on an 8-2 outcome.
Georgia Perimeter coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar said it took awhile for his three players to adjust to the expansive facilities at Clemson, and they played well once they settled down. The tournament wraps up a successful fall season for the Jaguars’ women’s and men’s tennis teams.
October 15, 2011Seeded fourth, Dahbi finishes fourth at Mobile
Salma Dahbi entered the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships as a No. 4 seed in singles and doubles. That is exactly how the event in Mobile, Ala., played out for the Georgia Perimeter College tennis player.
Dahbi was denied third place Saturday by Chloe Murphy of Seminole (Fla.) State College, who won 6-1, 6-4. Murphy, fittingly, was the third seed.
The day before, Dahbi and Idia Amen dropped the third-place match in doubles. Dahbi returns home with two fourth-place finishes in the eight-player field.
The Jaguars’ other singles participant, Sadia Mayou, went 0-2 in the last competition of the fall season.
Dahbi’s bid for a title at the nationals was halted Friday by Barbora Bozkova of Laredo (Tex.) Community College 6-0, 6-2.
GPC teammate Mayou, who had dropped into the consolation side of the bracket with a first-day loss, suffered the same fate Friday. She was defeated by Diana Davitaia of Cowley (Ark.) College 6-1, 6-4.
Davitaia was no stranger to the Jaguars. She and teammate Zsofia Biro, comprising the top doubles seed, had needed three sets to upend the GPC duo of Dahbi and Amen. Dahbi-Amen, who had opened with a straight-sets victory, then missed out on the third-place prize. They lost a consolation title match to Chloe Murphy and Taylor Spradlin of Seminole (Fla.) State College in three sets.
October 13, 2011Dahbi leads charge at small college nationals
Salma Dahbi enjoyed a smashing first day at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships in Mobile, Ala., winning in singles and doubles on behalf of the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team.
Dahbi, the No. 4 seed in the eight-player singles bracket, routed Monica Rekkedal of Meridian (Miss.) Community College 6-1, 6-2. She returned in doubles for a 6-3, 6-3 victory with Idia Amen. They defeated Laurence Porry and Marianna Palacios from State College of Florida.
Jaguar teammate Sadia Mayou was not as fortunate. She fell short against Kerrie Cartwright of Tyler (Tex.) Junior College 6-0, 6-1. The competition continues Friday in the climactic event of GPC’s fall schedule.
October 8, 2011Mayou, Amen win in Atlanta Classic
Sadia Mayou was extended to three sets and Idia Amen had it easier Saturday as the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team completed a three-school event at Rockdale Tennis Center with a pair of wins.
Mayou, the Jaguars’ No. 2 singles player, took control against Kir Kemp of Georgia State, the host school, in the final set for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 victory. Mayou finished the weekend 2-1.
Amen, at No. 3, took down Theresa Neumeyer of Brenau in straight sets 7-5, 6-0.
Three other Jaguars were defeated, notably No. 1 player Salma Dahbi. She could not overcome Brenau’s Lyn See Chao 6-2, 6-2.
No. 4 Asia Boyd fell to Tereza Lerova of Georgia State 6-0, 6-0. No. 5 Nea Krpo, who won both of her matches Friday, could not keep the momentum going. She was beaten by Eline Nagles 6-0, 6-3.
The fall agenda concludes with some players attending the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships this weekend in Mobile, Ala.
October 7, 2011Krpo has good start for Jaguars at Atlanta Classic
Nea Krpo dropped only four games in two matches Friday to highlight Georgia Perimeter College performances in the Atlanta Classic, a three-team women’s tennis meet at Rockdale Tennis Center.
Krpo was fresher than her teammates, who played in a dual match against Shorter College Thursday, and it showed. She handled Alex Brouillette of Georgia State, the host school, 6-2, 6-2, then shut out the Panthers’ Janeei Clark 6-0, 6-0.
Salma Dahbi and Sadia Mayou rebounded from setbacks in the morning to finish the day at 1-1. Dahbi defeated GSU’s Kir Kemp 6-4, 6-0 after bowing to Kemp’s teammate, Whitney Boyd, 6-3, 6-3
Mayou took care of Maria Perdomo Medina from Brenau 6-3, 7-5 following a 6-0, 6-1 setback to the Golden Tigers’ Lyn See Chao.
The two other Jaguars players went winless. Idia Amen succombed to two Panthers, Abigail Tere-Apisah (6-0, 6-0) and Tereza Lerova (6-4, 6-1). Asia Boyd was unable to break through against the Brenau duo of Theresa Neumeyer (7-5, 6-1) and Hannah Thompson (6-0, 6-0).
The event resumes Saturday. Then the Jaguars will finish their fall competition next weekend when selected players enter the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships in Mobile, Ala.
October 6, 2011Jaguars excel in scrimmage with Shorter College
The Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team got a pair of three-set wins in singles and a couple of narrow doubles victories to down Shorter College 7-2 Thursday on the Dunwoody campus.
The Jaguars took their only dual match on the brief fall schedule with the help of three forfeited wins because of a shortage of Hawks players.
Their successes on the court were well-earned. Sadia Mayou, at No. 2 singles, rebounded from a slow start and was dominant the rest of the way 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
No. 3 Idia Amen took over late for a 7-6, 2-6, 6-2 win.
Amen teamed with Salma Dahbi for a 9-8 doubles triumph, while Mayou joined Asia Boyd to salt away the team victory 9-7.
Dahbi, GPC’s top singles player, just missed in her match, 6-0, 3-6, 7-6. Asia Boyd, at No. 4, fell 6-2, 6-1.
The Jaguars play this weekend in the Atlanta Classic and finish their fall competition next weekend when selected players will enter the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships in Mobile, Ala. Qualifying took place last month.
September 25, 2011Jaguars sweep USTA/ITA Small College Regional Tournament
For the second consecutive year, the Georgia Perimeter College men’s and women’s tennis teams swept all four titles—singles and doubles—this weekend at the USTA/ITA Small College Regional Championship in Alexander City, Ala.
From left, coach Reda Nait Omar, Asia Boyd, Sadia Mayou, Idia Amen, Salma Dahbi and assistant coach Akeem Byron.
Georgia Perimeter dominated the tournament so convincingly that only GPC players made the finals in both men’s and women’s singles and doubles competition.
“It was a full sweep,” said head coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar. “We won men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles and women’s doubles.”
With the victories, both teams earned berths in the USTA/ITA Small College National Championship Tournament in Mobile, Ala. Oct. 13-16.
In the women’s singles final, a pair of Jaguar sophomores squared off for the championship. Salma Dahbi defeated teammate Sadia Mayou 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Dahbi teamed up with freshman Idia Amen in the women’s doubles final to down Mayou and sophomore Asia Boyd 8-2.
Amen made the singles semifinals, but she fell in a thriller, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6.
In the men’s singles title match, Menford Owusu, a freshman from Ghana, defeated All-American teammate Ismail Lemtouni 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Menford and freshman teammate Issey Ijuin won the doubles title with an 8-5 victory over Lemtouni and another Jaguar freshman, Preston Samowitz.
On the men’s side, Eric Verdi also lost in the semifinals 6-4, 6-3.
The USTA/ITA regional is one of several tournaments and matches for the Jaguars during the limited fall season that serves as a warm-up for the spring schedule. Other colleges attending the tournament were Central Alabama Community College, Oxford College of Emory University, Marion Military Institute and Gadsden State Community College.
The next match for the Jaguars, men and women, is on their home courts Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. versus Shorter College, a four-year institution.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338. Follow the Jaguars on Facebook and Twitter.
September 13, 2011Tryouts announced for women’s tennis, women’s basketball
Head coach ’Reda” Mohamed Nait Omar announced this week that his women’s tennis team needs more players.
To try out for the GPC women’s tennis team, contact coach Nait Omar at mohamed.omar@gpc.edu or assistant coach Akeem Byron, 561-704-5016.
Also, head coach James Waldon announced that tryouts for the Georgia Perimeter College women’s basketball team will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, at 12 noon in the Decatur Campus gymnasium. For more information, contact coach Waldon at james.waldon@gpc.edu or 404-409-5332.
Follow all Jaguar sports on Twitter and Facebook, or at depts.gpc.edu/athletic
August 4, 2011Women’s and men’s tennis tryouts
Are you a tennis player with college potential?
To try out for the GPC women’s or men’s tennis teams, contact head coach “Reda” Mohamed Nait Omar at mohamed.omar@gpc.edu or assistant coach Akeem Byron, 561-704-5016.
Scholarships are available for players who qualify.
The tennis courts are located on GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, GA, 30338 and on the Clarkston Campus, 555 North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston, GA, 30021.
July 21, 2011Amen brings self-made talent to GPC
Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis coach Mohamed Nait Omar has a penchant for finding international talent, with the emphasis more on talent than international.
Idia Amen, a top 20 player from Dallas, Texas, signs to play at Georgia Perimeter College, flanked by her parents and backed by Jaguars coach Mohamed Nait Omar, who calls her a "great recruit who comes from a tennis family."
One of the newest Jaguars is Idia Amen, a young woman of Nigerian heritage who is largely a self-made player. She doesn’t come from some big-name private tennis academy. She learned the game from her father, Orlando, and discovered her skills by following her brothers.
“She is a top 20 player from Dallas, Texas,” Omar said, adding that she’s “a great recruit (who) comes from a tennis family.”
Her older brothers, Ik and Efe, went on to play at the University of Texas and Grambling, respectively. Her father also played at Grambling. Another older brother, Billy, also played tennis.
Following them around, Idia learned skills uniquely her own. She took up the game at the age of 10, and even though she barely outweighed the racket at that time, she has learned to handle it in ways you don’t often see in women’s tennis players.
For instance, where most women’s tennis players employ a two-handed backhand, Idia is more comfortable using the one-handed variety. It’s a trait she picked up from her father. But it brought her success, and it’s part of the reason why she put tennis on the map at David W. Carter High School in Dallas, where the sport had been mostly an afterthought.
She graduated there and still dreams of playing at a major Division I university, which makes the marriage of Amen and Georgia Perimeter College a perfect fit. Omar has coached several nationally ranked and international players, helping many of them with obtaining college scholarships and the skills to play at a professional level.
“We are excited to have her join our team,” Omar said.
April 16, 2011Despite Mayou, Shorter College defeats Jaguars 7-2
Sadia Mayou stayed unbeaten this season in singles, but her Georgia Perimeter College teammates provided little support in a 7-2 defeat Saturday to Shorter College in Rome.
Mayou, playing at No. 2, upended Danielle Monteith 6-3, 6-4. GPC’s other point came in doubles as the top duo of Salma Dahbi and Maria Casseres took care of Candice Laurent and Emmanuelle DeBaucoudrey 8-4.
The Jaguars finish the season at 5-5. They won’t attend Friday’s Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament in Tifton because the league changed the format this year. Only the top two teams in the regular season schedule, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Gordon College, will play for the championship.
Mayou nearly came through in doubles with Asia Boyd. However, GPC’s No. 2 pair was tripped up by Danielle Monteith and Nienke Van Steveren 9-7.
Otherwise, Shorter (11-1), unbeaten at home and coming off its first loss of the year, was too much for the Jaguars on a windy north Georgia morning.
Dahbi opened strongly in singles but gave way to Laurent 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. Casseres was unable to press DeBaucoudrey, falling 6-1, 6-0. Boyd bowed to Van Steveren 6-1, 6-2. Jennifer Bissinger stumbled against Quincey Mason 6-1, 6-1.
The short-handed Jaguars defaulted on the remaining two matches.
April 8, 2011Jaguars defeat Coastal Georgia 7-2
Salmi Dahbi and Maria Casseres won their singles matches in contrasting fashion, then teamed for a dominant doubles triumph as the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team downed College of Coastal Georgia 7-2 Friday on the Dunwoody campus.
Dahbi easily disposed of Luisa Lopes 6-2, 6-1. Casseres, by comparison, was pressed, surviving 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 against Sunshine Beba.
Playing together, the Lady Jaguars’ pair stifled Beba and Ashley Grafton 8-0 and wound up accounting for three of the five match victories for GPC (5-4). The other two points were earned by default as the Lady Mariners brought just five players from Brunswick.
Sadia Mayou crushed Grafton 6-0, 6-0, and Asia Boyd took care of Victoria Holloway 6-4, 6-4.
However, the twosome could not repeat in doubles, bowing to Lopes and Holloway 9-7.
Andreina Gomez was victimized by Meredith Miller 6-0, 6-1, giving Coastal Georgia its second point.
April 4, 2011Sixteen-time defending region champs defeat Jaguars
Two narrow defeats in doubles dashed the upset hopes of Georgia Perimeter College in a 6-3 defeat to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, the state’s most accomplished women’s tennis program, Monday on the Dunwoody campus.
Salma Dahbi and Maria Casseres fell just shy of Bia Miranda and Jordan Carter, 9-7 at No. 1 doubles. Sadia Mayou and Asia Boyd missed by the same score. Andreina Gomez and Jennifer Bissinger were no match for Carli Hester and Heather Humphrey, losing 8-1.
Coach Mohamed "Reda" Nait Omar suggested that the doubles’ disappointments carried over to singles, though GPC (4-4) still managed to split the six matches.
Dahbi captured a thriller over Chanel Cunningham 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, taking the tie-breaker 10-4. Mayou bounced Miranda 6-2, 6-3 and Boyd drubbed Hester 6-1, 6-1.
The Lady Jaguars were unable to gain further ground. Casseres bowed to Carter 6-0, 6-0, Gomez to Ellie Hall 6-3, 6-0, and Bissinger to Humphrey 6-0, 6-1.
The Fillies, from Tifton, have claimed the last 16 titles in Region XVII for state junior colleges.
April 1, 2011Jaguars glide by Central Alabama with straight-set wins
A busy extended weekend began on a high note for the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team, which disposed of Central Alabama Community College 8-1 Friday on the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars (4-3) won six of seven contested matches, with the other two decided by default.
Coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar was particularly pleased with GPC’s two doubles victories.
Salmi Dahbi and Maria Casseres downed Lauren Blair and Laine Denuex 8-3. Sadia Mayou and Asia Boyd handled Amber Gurubel and Whitney Corgill 8-1.
Boyd was especially sharp in singles as her serve overwhelmed the Trojoans’ Katie Smalley 6-1, 6-1. Dahbi defeated Blair 6-0, 6-2 and Mayou subdued Denuex 6-0, 6-1.
Andreina Gomez and Jennifer Bissinger completed GPC’s day of straight-sets wins. Gomez beat Gurubel 6-3, 6-2, while Bissinger stymied Corgill 6-1, 6-3.
The Jaguars hope their momentum carries over to Saturday, when they confront University of South Carolina-Lancaster at 10 a.m. on the Dunwoody courts.
Their hectic stretch ends Monday afternoon with a men’s and women’s home match against perennial Region 17 power Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. That showdown begins at 2 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
March 20, 2011GPC women defeat Oxford 6-3 after long layoff
Showing little rust after nearly one month from its previous matches, the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team downed Oxford of Emory 6-3 Sunday at its Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars (3-3), who had not played since Feb. 23, received a big boost from Sadia Mayou and Asia Boyd. They were not only in complete control in singles—Mayou handling Vyjoo Lakshimpathy 6-0, 6-0, and Boyd disposing of Hima Nannapaneni 6-1, 6-0—but they hooked up to defeat the Eagles’ Etasha Srinivas and Nannapaneni in doubles 8-2.
Coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar was delighted with the duo, especially Mayou. “She closed in on the net on key points,” Nait Omar said. “She was aggressive.”
No. 1 singles player Salma Dahbi dusted Ayanna Groves 6-1, 6-1, while No. 3 Maria Casseres blanked Srinivas 6-0, 6-0. In doubles, they collaborated to edge Groves-Lakshimpathy 8-6.
GPC gets an opportunity to climb above .500 against Central Alabama Community College on April 1 at the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
February 23, 2011Jaguars fall to Emory University
Sadia Mayou, a freshman tennis player from Togo, has been Georgia Perimeter College’s go-to player at No. 2 singles. Mayou out-volleyed Lorne McManigle of Emory University 7-6, 6-2 for GPC’s lone win in seven matches Wednesday as the Jaguars lost on the Eagles’ home courts in Atlanta 8-1.
It was Mayou’s third win this season against opponents at four-year schools. Emory (3-2) is ranked third in the NCAA’s Division III and is defending national runner-up.
At No. 1 singles, GPC’s Salmi Dahbi was competitive, falling to Jordan Wylie 6-3, 6-2. The rest of the one-on-ones were one-sided: Maria Casseres falling to Zahra Dawson 6-0, 6-1, Asia Boyd to Malavik Padmanabhan 6-1 6-1, and Andreina Gomez to Taylor Brandt 6-0, 6-0.
Dahbi-Casseres made Emory’s team of Dawson-McManigle work for its point in doubles, an 8-5 verdict. Mayou-Boyd went down to Wylie and Gabrielle Clark 8-1. The Jaguars brought only five players and defaulted on the other singles and doubles match, which made the final score 8-1.
GPC declined to 2-3 on the season, with each defeat coming against four-year institutions on its ambitious schedule. The Jaguars return to the two-year college level against College of Coastal Georgia Friday afternoon in Brunswick.
February 22, 2011Top four dominate as GPC nets win over Spelman
The big four on the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team took care of business in both singles and doubles, enabling the visiting Jaguars to down Spelman College 6-3 Tuesday.
In singles, No. 3 Maria Casseres won every game during her two sets against Alana McKinney, while No. 1 Salma Dahbi (over Lauren Holloway), No. 2 Sadia Mayou (over Sydney Davis) and No. 4 Asia Boyd (over Tyler Clark) dropped just one game apiece.
In doubles, Dahbi-Casseres closed out Holloway-Clark 8-2 and Mayou-Boyd tamed Davis-McKinney 8-1.
The visitors scored their points in the other two singles and one doubles match. GPC’s Andreina Gomez fell to Leah Howard 7-5, 6-4 and Jennifer Bissinger was outlasted by Raquel King in an exciting tie-breaker 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 1-0 (10-3). Playing together Gomez and Bissinger lost to their counterparts 8-5 in doubles.
The Lady Jaguars (2-2) had been idle since Feb. 3, partly because of postponements. Well-rested, they are back in action Wednesday afternoon at Emory University, then complete a hectic week Friday against College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick.
February 6, 2011Weekend tennis matches rained out
Saturday’s men’s and women’s tennis matches at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and Sunday’s men’s match with Georgia State University were rained out. Dates for rescheduled matches will be posted at the Schedule-Results pages, which can be found on the left menu bar for each team’s web site.
February 3, 2011Jaguars open region schedule with shutout
Toughened by a pair of season-opening losses to four-year institutions, the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team shut out Gordon College 9-0 Thursday on the Dunwoody courts for its first victory of the season.
GPC overpowered its cohort in Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association, dropping only a combined five games in the seven matches played. The two other matches were won by default.
“We played very well,” coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar said. “The challenging four-year college schedule is helping their confidence.” The coach noted that Andreina Gomez and Asia Boyd, playing in the lower singles flights, stood out in their performances.
Singles winners were Salma Dahbi (6-0, 6-0 over Courtney Millkin), Sadia Mayou (6-0, 6-0 over Toni Griswold), Maria Casseres (6-0, 6-1 over Stephanie Coates), Boyd (6-1, 6-1 over Natalie Krueer) and Gomez (6-1, 6-0) over Amanda Gray.
Dahbi and Casseres teamed to down Milkin and Griswold 8-0 in one doubles match. The other was taken by Mayou and Boyd, 8-1 over Coates and Krueer.
The Jaguars head south to Tifton, Ga., for a Saturday encounter with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, the perennial champion of Region 17 (also known as the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association). Last year GPC finished second in the region behind the defending champion Fillies.
Georgia Perimeter visits Spellman College on Feb. 10, and then the next home match is Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. against Spartanburg Methodist College.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
January 29, 2011Jaguars drop two opening weekend to four-year schools
Georgia Perimeter College opened its ambitious women’s tennis schedule over the weekend with a pair of defeats to four-year schools.
The Jaguars fell shy Friday against Georgia State University from the NCAA’s Division 1 level—the highest in college sports—6-3. The next day, they succumbed to Shorter College 6-2. Both competitions unfolded on GPC’s Dunwoody courts.
Against Georgia State, the only on-court victory was Sadia Mayou’s thrilling three-set tie-breaker at No. 2 singles, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 against Martina Ondrackova. The two other points came by forfeit because GSU did not field a full contingent of players.
At No. 1 singles, Salma Dahbi was beaten 6-1, 6-1 against Tereza Lerova.
“We competed very well, but the girls were a little intimidated by Georgia State,” coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar said. “Division 1 is a different ballgame in terms of intensity.”
Subsequent singles losses were suffered by Maria Casseres 6-1, 6-0 to Marina Kozachenk; Asia Boyd 6-2, 6-1 to Katerina Gresova,and Andreina Gomez 6-0, 6-0 to Othillia Lindquist.
Dahbi-Casseres (8-5) and Mayou-Boyd (8-1) absorbed doubles defeats.
Though Saturday’s score was similar to the opener’s, Nait Omar observed, “We competed well. The scores were pretty tight.”
He said some Jaguars took too long to get fully engaged in matches.
Mayou, at No. 2 singles, triumphed again, 6-3, 6-3 against Emmanuelle DeBeaucoudrey. Dahbi-Casseres delivered in doubles 9-7 (7-2 in the tie-breaker) against Candice Laurent and DeBeaucoudrey.
Mayou, according to her coach, “is an example for the rest of the team how not to back down because you are playing a bigger school. Take the match as a match—not who you’re playing.”
The Jaguars got behind in doubles, Mayou-Boyd losing 8-2 and Andreina Gomez-Jennifer Bissinger, who were idled Friday, 8-3.
In singles, Dahbi took Laurent to three sets, losing 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Casseres, Gomez and Bissinger lost in straight sets, none winning more than three games.
The Lady Jaguars return to their junior-college level Thursday, taking on Gordon College at 1 p.m. on the Dunwoody campus. It is the Jaguars’ opener in the conference, the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association. The league is also known as Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
January 27, 2011Talented Jaguars set for run on title
Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar, head tennis coach at Georgia Perimeter College, received a phone call of recommendation last year on behalf of a prospective Jaguars player.
“Hey, you might want to look at her,” the caller said about Salma Dahbi. “She could be pretty good for you.”
Nait Omar could trust the voice on the other line. It belonged to his father, who once was a world-ranked professional player and now operates a tennis club in their native Morocco. The elder Nait Omar taught Dahbi for many years.
In fact, Reda Nait Omar was reminded that he saw Dhabi back home when she first appeared at the club at age 9.
“She had great hands,” Nait Omar recalled. “She was very competitive.”
Dhabi can be more than pretty good for the Georgia Perimeter women’s team. Reda believes she will contend for the No. 1 singles role.
Her chief competition is fellow freshman Sadia Mayou from the African country of Togo. The recruiting connection in her case was not Nait Omar’s dad but his premier men’s player at GPC, Salif Kante of Senegal
Kante had run across Mayou in junior tournaments across the African continent and put in a good word for her to the coach.
“She is very strong. Very, very fit,” Nait Omar said. “She’s like a bulldog. She runs and runs and runs.”
Their arrival should blunt the loss of last year’s top two players. Mary Claire Slade completed her eligibility and Maria Ferri transferred.
Dahbi and Mayou dropped hints of good things to come during the brief fall season. Each reached the finals of the prestigious USTA/ITA Small College Southeast Regional Championship, with Dahbi defeating her new teammate. Mayou paired with Slade to take the doubles.
The seven-player roster includes a third native African. Audrey Nehme of Dakar was enrolled at GPC and passed a tryout.
The remaining freshmen had a much shorter distance to travel. Atlantan Asia Boyd, from Dunwoody High, brings special talents in doubles play, especially with serves and volleys, according to Nait Omar. She was a high school teammate of the Singleton brothers on the GPC men’s side.
Jennifer Bessinger, from Edwardsburg, Mich., resided in Georgia when she joined the team. Nait Omar described her as a standout in practice who needs match experience.
Two returning players with a shared background—sophomores Maria Casseres and Adreina Gomez, both from Venezuela—round out the roster.
Casseres, who came straight from her homeland to GPC, projects as high as the No. 3 singles player. She won a first-round match in the region tournament (Region 17 of the National Junior College Athletic Association, also known as the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association).
Gomez missed the fall matches with an injury from falling off a horse. Nait Omar declared her fit and said he looks for improvement over last season.
Last spring, which marked the 10th anniversary of GPC’s women’s NJCAA national title, the Jaguars went 5-4 and placed runner-up in the region to perennial powerhouse Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, despite a thin roster that forced them to default on occasional matches.
Nait Omar’s wish list includes greater depth, even if that area has been addressed. But one thing looks pretty certain—with Dahbi and Mayou, “I think we’re very strong at the top,” he said.
To return the program to the national tournament, the Jaguars must display the depth and strength to unseat ABAC. “That would be our No. 1 goal,” Nait Omar said. Beating the Fillies in the highly competitive fall regional offers hope.
The upgraded schedule, currently with 14 match dates, kicks off at 1 p.m. Friday against Georgia State University on the Dunwoody Campus, followed by a 10 a.m. Saturday meeting at home with Shorter College.
The weekend opponents are among four from four-year Georgia schools added by Nait Omar to toughen GPC for the more important matches on its junior college level.
The Jaguars are home for nine dual competitions and stay in town for two more, at Spelman College and Emory University. A highlight on the home card is an April 4 visit by ABAC.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
October 19, 2010Jaguars give good accounting in ITA/USTA finals
Georgia Perimeter College gave notice that it will be a force in the full men’s tennis season next spring with runner-up finishes in singles and doubles last weekend at the ITA/USTA National Small College Championships.
Salif Kante claimed second place in singles as well as doubles, along with Jaguars teammate Akeem Byron, at the event in Mobile, Ala., which closed out the abbreviated fall schedule.
“We are at that [high] level, so we have to buckle down because people are now going to take us more seriously,” coach “Reda” Mohamed Nait Omar said.
Kante, the No. 3 seed, opened in the eight-player division by handling Rafael Coutinho of Laredo (Tex.) Community College 6-3, 6-2, then disposed of Mikhail Pecherkin from Hinds (Miss.) Community College 6-2, 6-2.
He was denied the title by top-seeded Mbonisis Ndimande of Seminole State (Fla.) College 6-2, 6-4.
Kante and Byron, seeded fourth, took their doubles finals to three sets, falling to No. 2 seed Mario Jakovljevic and Pete Thomason from Tyler (Tex.) Junior College 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. Earlier, they downed the duos from Fresno City (Calif.) College 7-6, 6-1 and Hinds 6-1, 6-4.
On the women’s side, GPC’s Sadia Mayou and Mary Claire Slade outlasted second-seeded St. Petersburg (Fla.) Junior College 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 in the first round of doubles, then stumbled to Asa (N.Y.) College in another extended thriller 6-3, 4-6, 12-10.
Salma Dahbi of the Lady Jaguars dropped her initial singles match, 6-1, 7-5 to Sun When of Tyler, the favorite and eventual champion.
October 11, 2010GPC falls to Brenau in meet’s final matches
Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis players made their way to three finals matches at a weekend tournament in Alexander City, Ala., only to run into a buzzsaw from Brenau University.
Mary Claire Slade advanced to the first flight finals of the Central Alabama Community College Invitation by dominating three matches in which she dropped just five games. Then Lyn See Choo of Brenau beat her 6-4 6-2.
Slade and Sadia Mayou won a pair of doubles matches easily by 8-2 and 8-1 but found Choo and Katarina Mazackova of Brenau too tough, falling 8-4.
In the second flight singles, GPC’s Asia Boyd had an eventful route to the finals before succumbing to Eline Nagels of Brenau 6-0, 6-0. Boyd was extended to three sets in each of her first two matches, winning the initial one 7-5. She also needed a 7-5 set in her third match, a straight-sets victory.
Nagels had disposed of the Lady Jaguars’ Maria Casseres in the semifinals 6-2, 6-1. Casseres opened with two decisive straight-sets triumphs.
The Lady Jaguars complete their abbreviated fall schedule this weekend at the USTA/ITA Small College National Championship in Mobile. GPC qualified with a sweep of singles and doubles in the southern regional.
September 30, 2010Jaguars are back: tennis teams sweep USTA/ITA regional
Georgia Perimeter College tennis coach “Reda” Mohamed Nait Omar can hardly wait for the spring season. Who can blame him? GPC already is headed to a tournament with “national” in the title.
From left, Sadia Mayou, Coach Reda Nait Omar and Salma Dahbi display the doubles championship trophies.
The Jaguars men’s and women’s tennis teams swept all four titles last weekend at the USTA/ITA Small College Regional Championship in Alexander City, Ala. As a result, both teams qualify for the USTA/ITA Small College National Championship Tournament in Mobile, Ala., Oct. 14-17.
The USTA/ITA regional, one of four tournaments GPC is attending during the limited fall season that serves as a warmup for the spring, consisted of nine men’s and 11 women’s teams. Significantly, one participant was Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, the dominant program in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA Region 17).
“We made the big noise in junior college tennis,” said Nait Omar, noting that expectations for the team have been raised. “This sends a good message to the teams on our schedule that GPC is back at the level they once were. This is big-time. People are going to pay attention.”
Georgia Perimeter’s men’s tennis team won National Junior College Athletic Association national championships for four consecutive years from 1998 to 2001, and the women’s team also won the title in 2000.
The main contributors for the Jaguars this weekend were a mix of veterans and newcomers.
Sophomore Salif Kante, the returning No. 1 men’s player, took the singles crown 6-2, 6-1 over Mikhail Pecherkin of Hinds Community College (Miss.). Kante and Akeem Byron, a first-year player who attended GPC last year, took the doubles 8-6 from Pecherkin and Nikita Lison.
Freshman Salma Dahbi from Morocco captured the women’s singles honors 6-4, 7-5 over teammate Sadia Mayou of Togo, another first-year player. Mayou teamed with sophomore Mary Slade in doubles, downing Jessica Halterman and Savannah Zachry of Marion Military Institute (Ala.) 8-4.
GPC’s Ismail Lemtouni reached the men’s semifinals before losing, while he and Ali Vaziri Hamedani were ousted in the doubles semis. On the women’s side, Slade, the most valuable player in Region 17 last spring, fell to Dahbi in the semifinals.
The Jaguars next return to Alexander City for the Central Alabama Community College Invitational Oct. 8-10. Then it’s on to the national championship tourney in Mobile to conclude the fall agenda.
The spring schedule begins in February, when Nait Omar and the Jaguars apparently will have one goal in mind—attending another tournament with “national” in the title, the NJCAA National Championship Tournament in Tucson, Ariz.
See the GPC men’s tennis site for more on players mentioned in this article.
April 18, 2010Slade earns region MVP as Jaguars take second place
Georgia Perimeter College’s Mary Slade capped an outstanding tennis season by winning her flight at the NJCAA Region 17 tournament and earning the women’s most valuable player award.
Mary Slade, center, and Maria Ferri took the doubles trophy. GPC coach Mohamed Nait Omar looks on at right.
Slade, who lost only one singles match all season, defeated Alejandra Gamboa of region champion Abraham Baldwin College 6-2, 6-0 in the finals for No. 1 players on each squad.
She also took the doubles title with partner Maria Ferri, downing Abraham Baldwin’s Keri Huett and Beatriz Miranda 6-3, 6-3 in the finals on ABAC’s campus in Tifton.
“She had an exceptional weekend,” coach Mohamed Nait Omar said Sunday of Slade. “She basically dominated the whole season. She was very consistent on her ground strokes, and she’s gotten better at closing her matches.”
Slade paced the Lady Jaguars to second place in the regional team standings behind ABAC, which advances to the nationals.
Other results: Maria Casseres won her first match against Gordon College and lost the second round to ABAC’s Huett. Ferri won the first match over Brianna Brinkley of Young Harris College but lost the second round to ABAC’s Miranda. Voyka Milosavljavic won the first round, defeating YHC’s Holly Smith and lost the second match to ABAC’s Jahyna Pope.
Andreina Gomez lost the first round to YHC’s Michelle Allen. Kathryn Spratlin won the firstmatch against YHC’s Mary Maxwell and lost the second round to ABAC’s Lauren Smith.
Casseres and Milosavljavic lost the first doubles round to YHC’s Smith and Sarah Deese. Gomez and Spratlin won the first round against YHC’s Allen/Maxwell and lost the second round to ABAC’s Pope and Marley Myers.
“These results really speak for how well our tennis program is doing and the progress we have made,” Nait Omar said. Referring also to the GPC men, who finished third, he added, “I am extremely proud of both teams.”
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April 13, 2010Lady Jaguars get set for Region 17 tourney
NJCAA Division 1 Region 17 women’s tennis has been owned by Abraham Baldwin College for years. The Fillies have won a long string of Division 1 region tournament championships since the mid-1990s, and they usually enjoy the comforts of home in hosting the event.
Mary Slade
But Georgia Perimeter College won eleven region titles in Division 2 competition beginning in the 1980s under then coach Joyce Garrett, and the Jaguars won the national championship in 2000. Garrett is among only 24 coaches who have been inducted to the NJCAA Women’s Tennis Hall of Fame.
Current coach Reda Nait Omar aims eventually to bring the trophies back to Georgia Perimeter, and he’s not taking his team to Abraham Baldwin’s campus in Tifton this weekend with a concession speech prepared.
“I think they’re beatable,” he said of the Fillies, ranked sixth in the national junior college polls. “We need to take the doubles and send a message we mean business in singles.”
The Jaguars ended their regular season at 5-4 with a confidence-building 9-0 whitewash of Gordon College. It provided a matching bookend to the year, which began with a shutout of Spartanburg Methodist.
“The mind-set is very good,” Nait Omar said. “Our players are still talking about that last match.”
The coach attributed a midseason swoon to inclement weather curtailing practice for the young team, which has only one sophomore. GPC won its final two competitions to close over .500.
Maria Casseres
In the regionals, “Doubles is gonna be huge for us,” Nait Omar said. “For us to win, we have to come through in doubles.”
Local product Mary Slade (Blessed Trinity High) and Maria Casseres of Venezuela have delivered doubles points all season. They could be tested by the ABAC duo of Monika Lalewicz and Alejandra Gamboa, rated fifth in the country.
Maria Ferri of Spain and Voyka Milosavljavic of Venezuela comprise GPC’s second doubles team. The other is made up of two metro Atlantans—Venezuela native Andreina Gomez (Sprayberry High) and Kathryn Spratlin (St. Pius X).
In singles, Slade has been a terror, losing one match all season—in a three-set tie-breaker.
“Tough, very strong,” said Omar Nait, who cautioned that Slade must avoid a habit of building a sizable lead and relaxing. “In regionals she can’t do that,” he said. That’s especially true if she confronts ABAC’s Lalewicz, ranked second in the nation.
At. No. 2 singles, Casseres has “come a long way,” he said. “She closed some big matches by buckling down. For a first-year player, that shows a lot.”
Ferri, the No. 3 singes player, has coped with a sore elbow this season. Milosavljavic, at No. 4, is the lone sophomore. Gomez will handle the fifth spot, followed by Spratlin.
The late-season surge has generated momentum for the Jaguars entering the regionals, where a strong Young Harris College also stands in the way between GPC and a title. “I see a big improvement in our confidence,” Nait Omar said.
Going against mighty Abraham Baldwin, that’s an essential ingredient.
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April 3, 2010Jaguars perfect 9-0 day after close match
Showing little fatigue from a narrow tennis win less than 24 hours earlier, the Georgia Perimeter College women’s team enjoyed its most complete day of the season Saturday by downing Gordon College 9-0 on the Dunwoody Campus courts.
The Jaguars never came close to dropping a set during the seven matches in improving to 5-4.
Mary Slade was GPC’s most dominant performer, winning 6-0, 6-0 in singles and 8-0 in doubles alongside Maria Ferri.
Ferri triumphed in singles 6-1, 6-1, along with Maria Casseres (6-0, 6-0), Voyka Milosavljavic (6-2, 6-2) and Andreina Gomez (6-2, 6-1).
Casseres and Milosavljavic notched an 8-2 win in doubles. GPC’s remaining two points came by default because Gordon was shy one player.
The matches concluded the Jaguars’ current regular season schedule, though Coach Reda Nait Omar indicated he is seeking another opponent prior to the Region 17 tournament April 17-18 in Tifton.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
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April 2, 2010Jaguars top Central Alabama
The Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team put itself in position for a winning season with a thrilling 5-4 win Friday over Central Alabama Community College.
The Jaguars (4-4) close out their schedule before the Region 17 tournament with a 10 a.m. match Saturday at home against Gordon College.
Mary Slade and Maria Ferri accounted for three of GPC’s points. Slade took her singles match 6-1, 6-1 and Ferri claimed hers 6-2, 6-4. They joined for an 8-4 doubles triumph on the Dunwoody campus courts.
A key singles match involved Kathyrn Spratlin, whose 6-2, 6-3 win was her finest performance of the season, according to Coach Reda Nait Omar. He said Maria Casseres was consistently outstanding in her 6-2, 6-1 victory.
GPC had to overcome a 2-1 deficit after the doubles matches. Casseres and Voyka Milosavljavic fell 8-6, while Spratlin and andreina Gomez dropped an 8-1 decision.
Gomez lost in singles 6-2, 6-3, as did Milosavljavic 6-2, 6-1.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
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March 27, 2010Shorter shuts out Lady Jaguars despite Slade’s best efforts
He who hesitates is lost. And, in the case of the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team, she who hesitated at the net lost Saturday.
The Jaguars (3-4) were downed 9-0 by Shorter College in Rome because they were hesitant on their volleys, according to Coach Reda Omar. The Lady Hawks (14-4), ranked 18th in NAIA (a division for four-year colleges), had an easy time except when Mary Slade was on the court.
Slade extended her singles opponent to a third-set tiebreaker before running out of gas 2-6, 6-2, 10-8. In doubles, she and Maria Ferri fell 8-6.
The Jaguars’ Kathryn Spratlin managed to earn three points in a 6-1, 6-2 singles setback. No other teammate was able to win more than a single point in their matches.
GPC tries to pull back to a .500 record Friday against Central Alabama Community College. The competition begins at 1 p.m. on the Dunwoody Campus.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
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March 20, 2010Jaguars aced by powerful ABAC
Georgia Perimeter College grabbed a pair of singles wins against women’s tennis power Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, but eventually stumbled to the visitors 7-2 Saturday on the Dunwoody Campus.
Mary Slade triumphed 6-2, 6-2 and Maria Casseres 6-1, 6-3 for the Jaguars (3-3) in their first matches in 16 days. ABAC, perennial champion of NJCAA Region 17, swept the rest.
In singles, Kathryn Spratlin and Maria Ferri came closest, each losing 6-3, 6-2. Voyka Milosavljavic lost 6-2, 6-2 and Andreina Gomez 6-1, 6-0.
The Fillies took all three doubles points, though Slade-Ferri pushed their opponents into extra time, losing 9-7. Casseres-Milosavljavic were beaten 8-2 and Gomez-Spratlin 8-1.
GPC has another week before Shorter College drops by the Dunwoody Campus next Saturday for a 1 p.m. encounter.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
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March 4, 2010Casseres, Ferri, Gomez pace Lady Jaguars past Young Harris
Catching the Young Harris College women’s tennis team in a rare rebuilding year, Georgia Perimeter College waltzed to an 8-1 win Thursday on its Clarkston courts.
Many matches were closer than the final score indicated, and the schools’ heated rivalry made for some intense tennis, according to GPC coach Reda Omar.
Maria Casseres and Maria Ferri outlasted their foes to account for three GPC points. Casseres took her singles match 7-5, 6-1, and Ferri 6-3, 6-2. They united for a 9-7 doubles victory.
Andrieina Gomez also contributed a pair of points, winning 6-2, 6-2 and singles and pairing with Voyka Milosavljavic in doubles 8-3.
The most thrilling match was Kathryn Spratlin’s 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 7-6 (10-7) marathoner. Mary Slade won twice from the sideline, her opponent withdrawing because of injury.
GPC moved to 3-2 while Young Harris, which has finished first or second in nine Region 17 tournaments since 1997, dipped to 0-8.
The Jaguars kick back until March 20. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College drops by the Dunwoody campus for a Saturday encounter.
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February 27, 2010Jaguars turn tables on Oxford
On the ride Saturday to play Emory of Oxford, Georgia Perimeter College left home the timid shotmaking that led to its women’s tennis downfall the week before.
Mary Slade
The visiting team prevailed again as GPC (2-2) evened the score against Emory with a 7-2 win. Last week Oxford, playing on Georgia Perimeter’s courts, defeated the Jaguars 5-4.
Following that loss, coach Reda Omar urged the Jaguars to not hold back on shots. If they were struck well and didn’t produce a point, so be it.
The Jaguars got plenty of points at Oxford. GPC took four of six singles matches: Mary Slade 6-2, 6-1; Maria Ferri 6-0, 6-1; Maria Casseres 6-4, 6-2, and Kate Spradlin 6-3, 6-3.
Slade and Ferri were just as effective as a doubles tandem, winning 8-3. Andriena Gomez and Voyka Milosavljevic, each defeated in singles, helped contribute points in doubles. Gomez, with Spratlin alongside, won 8-4. Milosavljevic, teamed with Casseres, triumphed 8-2.
The Jaguars make up a snowed-out encounter with Young Harris College at 4 p.m. Thursday on the Clarkston Campus. The Dunwoody Courts, where they usually play matches, will be unavailable at that time.
Thursday’s men’s and women’s tennis matches will be played at GPC’s Clarkston Campus, 555 North Indian Creek Drive, Clarkston, GA 30021.
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February 20, 2010Oxford drops Jaguars 5-4
Despite the efforts of its two most prominent players, the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team was unable to overcome Emory of Oxford, which claimed a 5-4 win Saturday on the Jaguars’ Clarkston courts.
Mary Slade and Edel Marie Ferri won their singles standoffs, Slade by 6-3, 6-1 and Ferri by 6-1, 6-2. They hooked up for an 8-4 victory in doubles.
But their teammates could produce only one more point on Maria Casseres’ 6-3, 6-4 win in singles.
GPC’s fourth-through-sixth seeds were unable to deliver. Voyka Milosavljevic fell 6-0, 6-1, Andrienda Gomez 6-2, 7-5 and Taiwo Adeshigbin 7-5, 6-3.
The Casseres-Milosavljevic doubles tandem lost 8-5, while Gomez-Adeshigbin succumbed 8-3.
Suffering their second loss in two days, the Jaguars (1-2) have a week to prepare for a rematch with Emory of Oxford away from home.
The next home date features a match with Young Harris College on March 2 at 1:30 p.m.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
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February 19, 2010Jaguars fall to Jacksonville squad
The visitors came out swinging—aggressively. By comparison, Georgia Perimeter College’s strokes were tentative. As a result, Florida Community College at Jacksonville scored a 6-3 win in women’s tennis Friday on GPC’s Dunwoody Campus.
The Stars—with more seasoning this season, having played five matches—showed more edge against the Jaguars (1-1). GPC swung the rackets well, according to coach Reda Omar, but came up tight in several deuce situations, enabling FCCJ to take all but one of the individual matches.
The only Jaguar winner was Mary Slade by 6-0, 6-2. GPC collected two more points when the Stars did not field a third doubles or sixth singles entry.
The Jaguars were competitive in both doubles encounters. Slade and Adel Maria Ferri fell 8-5, as did Maria Casseres and Voyka Milosavljavic.
The other singles setbacks weren’t quite so close: Ferri 6-1, 6-0; Casseres 6-1, 6-3; Milosavljavic 6-0, 6-0, and Andriena Gomez 6-0, 6-1.
The Jaguars are back on the courts Saturday with a 10 a.m. home match against Emory of Oxford. The GPC men also take on Emory.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
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February 15, 2010Jaguars enjoy newfound depth this season
Last season the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis team could have ridden to road matches in a compact car. Only four players met the standards of coach Mohamed “Reda” Nait Omar, and the Jaguars’ runner-up finish in the Region 17 tournament for state schools was a remarkable achievement.
Voyka Milosavljavic
Now, he needs an SUV-sized vehicle to transport the Jaguars. Omar suits up the standard six players for matches—and has four others in reserve.
“Depth on this team is what’s stronger,” the coach said after the Jaguars opened with a 9-0 whitewashing of Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist College.
Of last year’s quartet, only Voyka Milosavljavic of Venezuela remains. She is the squad’s sole sophomore after Yooha Nam, Bich Vi Truong and Maria Bagnati graduated.
Nait Omar signed another two other Venezuelan natives—Maria Romero and Andreina Gomez—plus Maria Ferri of Spain and Isolina Ottavi of Australia.
“It’s the U.N. [United Nations] team,” said Nait Omar, noting that Spanish is the squad’s second (and sometimes first) language. “That’s our nickname.”
Bringing some local flavor to the cast is Mary Slade, who hails from Blessed Trinity High in Alpharetta. She attended—but did not play at—Auburn University a year ago.
Gomez, too, was rusty, having not competed in a while. “She’s back on top of her game,” Nait Omar said of the Sprayberry High product.
The newcomers give GPC a fighting chance against region powerhouse Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. ABAC placed sixth in the national tournament.
“They are always stacked. I can compete with them from [players)] 1 through 3,” Nait Omar said, while emphasizing that the talent gap between GPC’s Nos. 1 and 6 players is shrinking.
ABAC is not the only school standing between the Jaguars and a return trip to the nationals, which would mark their first since 2003. (They were national champions in 2000.)
Young Harris College is another contender. The two teams were scheduled to go head-to-head Saturday, but Friday’s snowfall postponed the match.
The Jaguars, with a nearly all-freshmen roster, might be a year away from unseating ABAC, Nait Omar acknowledged. He added, “We’re going to try and beat them, of course.”
Georgia Perimeter hosts a match with Florida Community College Friday at 4 p.m. Saturday the Jaguars again play on their home court, meeting Emory of Oxford at 10 a.m.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
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February 12, 2010Saturday tennis matches postponed
The Saturday tennis matches for men and women have been postponed due to inclement weather.
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February 6, 2010GPC wins opener 9-0
It was a perfect start to the Georgia Perimeter College women’s tennis season.
The Jaguars blanked Spartanburg Methodist College 9-0 Saturday in their opener on the Dunwoody campus. Voyka Milosavljavic, the lone holdover from last year’s Region 17 runner-up, joined five newcomers to sweep the visitors in six singles and three doubles matches.
Georgia Perimeter could not have attained such a score last season because only four players competed. As a result, the Jaguars forfeited one doubles and two singles matches at each outing.
With a full contingent of players, GPC won every set against Spartanburg. The only player who was pressed: Isolin Ottavi, who took her singles encounter 6-1, 7-5.
Other victors were Mary Slade (6-1, 6-0), Maria Casseres (6-2 6-1), Andreina Gomez (6-1, 6-1), Adel Maria Ferri (6-0, 6-0) and Milosavljevic (6-0, 6-1).
Inclement weather did not phase the doubles pairs, either. Slade-Ferri and Casseres-Milosavljevic won 8-0, while Gomez-Ottovi triumphed 8-1.
The Jaguars’ home tennis matches are played at GPC’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road, Dunwoody, Ga., 30338.
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