The top-seeded Brenau tennis team entered the 2019 Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament as the favorites after winning the regular season title, and the squad answered the challenge with a 5-0 sweep of third-seeded SCAD Atlanta Saturday in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The Golden Tigers, after posting a perfect 8-0 conference record during the regular season, rolled through the conference tournament to win a second consecutive AAC championship. The squad did not drop a point during the tournament, winning each of the three matches by 5-0 score.
In the conference title match, the team again leaned on excellent doubles play as the No. 1 pairing of Peeraya Charoensirisutthikul and Rebecca Pijls defeated the Bees' Katrina De Guzman and Simran Kejriwal 8-4.
At second doubles, Evelin Gouveia and Kirsten Dickins edged past Sofia Guerra and Vivian Amaro and the third doubles team of Valentina Pabon and Juana Zambrano earned a third Golden Tiger point with an 8-2 victory over Madelyn Homan and Giulianna Hull.
"I thought we played our best doubles today," said Andre Ferreira, Brenau head coach. "It was a high level of doubles competition from both SCAD and us, and I was very excited to play against SCAD. I think that they have a really good team and our girls just played really well when they needed to in doubles.
"It started really close in all three doubles matches and we stepped up. Our No. 2 doubles (Gouveia and Dickins) lost to them (SCAD) a couple of weeks ago and to now win here in the finals really set the tone for singles."
With a commanding 3-0 lead entering singles play, Dickins easily outpointed Guerra 6-1, 6-3 at third singles and then Zambrano clinched the championship with a 6-1, 7-5 straight set victory over Smythe.
"Winning two championships in a row is phenomenal," said Mike Lochstampfor, Brenau athletic director. “A lot of credit goes to Andre (Ferreira) and his guidance. He has a unique way of coaching and I think that it is evident by the way we played today."
Ferreia, the 2019 AAC Coach of the Year, noted that his team's performance is indicative of both senior leadership and overall team preparation "I am very happy for our two seniors (Dickins and Pijls) to win the conference championship twice,” he said. “This is a tough conference and it has three teams in the top 25 and one receiving votes and to win it again and to go undefeated just shows that our team did the right things throughout the year. I am proud of them and am happy to have another chance at the National Championships."
Brenau next looks to the 2019 Women's Tennis National Championships, which are held in Mobile, Alabama, and begin on May 14.
