MACON, Ga.- Rio Maeda was a force to be reckoned with this weekend as the freshman took home the Mercer Invitational Championship in the singles department to go alongside another successful tournament for South tennis.
Day One
The Jags picked up several quality wins in the singles department, beginning with Rio Maeda sweeping opposition from Mercer 6-7, 3-6.
Lara van der Merwe would rally to take down Georgia State in three sets being 6-7, 7-6, and 5-7.
Jade Marie would garner victory against Mercer, with a 1-6, 6-4, 2-6 win. The Jags also had a successful outing in doubles, with victories from
Manal Ennaciri and
Jade Marie (6-2 vs GSU) as well as Rio Maeda and
Lara van der Merwe (6-1 vs Florida Southern, 6-4 vs Georgia College & State U).
Day Two
South continued to garner success in singles on day two as Ennaciri began the day by grabbing a 6-4, 6-0 victory against Georgia State and a 6-3, 6-3 win on Georgia Southern. Rio Maeda continued her hot streak with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Kennesaw State and a 3-6, 6-1, 3-6 victory over Georgia State. On the doubles side, Maeda and van der Merwe gained the lone doubles win of the day with a 6-3 win over Georgia College & State U.
Day Three
Manal Ennaciri would start off the final day with a 6-3, 6-0 win against Middle Georgia State to get the Jags rolling. Rio Maeda would cap off her perfect weekend with a 6-4, 6-0 win against Kennesaw State to take home the individual singles title.
Jade Marie would pick up a 6-4, 6-1 win against Georgia College & State U. The Jags would battle well in their two doubles matches on the day, but would come up just short.
QUOTES
Head coach Jaco Keyser on the weekend, ""Great pre season tournament for the girls that definitely made us a better team this weekend. Love the way the girls stayed the course playing a ton of tennis and did not falter mentally during the down swings this weekend. Our execution and substance of play can still improve 2 to 3 levels but if we maintain this competitiveness that we have on a day to day basis then it's just a matter of time. Looking forward to a couple of days at home on the practice courts and then of to the next opportunity to improve our match play"
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