COLUMBUS, Ga. – For the first time in program history, the University of North Georgia women's tennis team is champions of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) No. 3 Nighthawks used four singles wins against No. 8 Flagler to take down the Saints 4-2 and seal UNG's first PBC Tournament title in program history. 

At 22-1 thus far this year, the Nighthawks have solidified the program's best season in history. The 22 wins ties the most in a single year while a .956 winning percentage shatters the previous program single season record. There is still more tennis to be played, to boot. 

As UNG currently ranks as the No. 3 team in the nation per ITA and the No. 1 team in the Southeast Region per the NCAA, the Nighthawks are host hopefuls with an opportunity to host the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament at the UNG Tennis Complex at Yahoola Creek. 

In Sunday's championship match, Flagler jumped out to an early lead by taking the doubles point after winning the #1 and #3 doubles contest. The defeat in doubles play marked just the third doubles loss all season for UNG. 

"We knew how tight the match was going to be and how contested it was going to be in doubles and singles," said head coach Kent Norsworthy. "After the doubles, you could see it on the girls' faces that maybe they didn't feel confident coming out of doubles, but by the end of us talking their heads were up high, they were bouncing around, and it looked like they believed."

Junior PBC All-Conference second team singles selection Ashley Moinard steadied things for the Nighthawks with a 6-2, 6-1 win to tie the match at 1-1.

Senior and PBC All-Conference second team singles selection Viktorie Wojcikova then gave UNG a 2-1 lead in the match with a 7-6 (7-1 tiebreaker), 6-0 win over Flagler's Dana Heimen who ranks as the No. 43 women's singles player in the country. 

Flagler tied the match in the #1 singles spot in a top-10 showdown as No. 4 Nadja Meier defeated No. 8 Angelina Linnikova 6-4, 6-4 to even the match at 2-2.

Senior Svetlana Teterina came away with a hard fought, 7-4, 6-4 victory in the #4 singles match to make it 3-2 in the match and pull the Nighthawks within one team point of clinching the tournament title. 

The #3 and #6 singles matches were still in progress. 

Over in the #2 spot, UNG senior Johanna Lippert had taken the first 7-6 (7-2 tiebreaker) and held a slim 4-3 lead in the second set. 

In the #6 contest, senior Valentina Ascarrunz, who has been one of the best singles players this season for head coach Kent Norsworthy in the back of his lineup, had already taken her first set 6-3 against the Saints' Toni Pfeiffer. 

The second set was a back-and-forth battle. With her back to the wall, Pfeiffer forced it to a tiebreaker by tying the set at 6-6. Ascarrunz entered Sunday's title bout on a six-match win streak in singles play. She was 3-1 in tiebreaker sets on the season. She had never won a clinching match in her four-year collegiate career which started at Lincoln Memorial. 

All of that played into one last quick rally in which Ascarrunz watched a forehand shot from Pfeiffer sail long beyond the court. 

Her teammates spilled onto the court in a frenzy, surrounding Ascarrunz as they celebrated UNG's first women's tennis PBC Championship in history. 

"Val's been a rock for us at six… She's one of those 'put her head down, do her business' kind of players," said Norsworthy. "I was really proud of her, she's been a valuable piece for us at six… we trust her a lot and she's been amazing." 

Norsworthy, who was watching Lippert's #3 singles match, pulled Lippert off her court with a big hug and the two "sprinted over to Val's court and had a nice long celebration," said Norsworthy. 

Despite being the best team in the PBC all season long, the Nighthawks still felt an urgency to prove themselves with a conference championship having never done so before. 

"We might be the favorites on paper, but we were still the underdogs," said Norsworthy. "Our catchphrase was: 'we need to go hunting for those wins,' we're not letting anyone chase us anymore, we need to go hunting for wins and we did that all season." 

As he proudly wore an ice bath courtesy of his players that Norsworthy was happy to say he saw coming, he noted how special this win was for his entire team, but particularly the seniors.

"When you see the seniors and the hard work and development they've had; that's when it sunk in and you realize it's so special for them to grab a conference title in their senior year and the first one in school history," said Norsworthy. 

With a laundry list of historic accomplishments this year, the Nighthawks are not finished yet. As they hope to host the NCAA Southeast Regional for the second time, they are poised for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. 

After UNG clinched the regular season PBC title, Norsworthy told his team "you've already got a ring this year, now it's up to you to decide how big it gets." 

Upon the win Sunday he said, "it got a little bigger today and I told them, if they want large and extra large, we've got to play regionals and go to nationals."  

The NCAA will announce the regional host sites and bracket for the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championship on Monday, May 6.