ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – The No. 4 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's tennis team took down No. 36 Queens (QC) 4-0 in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championship at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Wednesday morning.

With the win, UNG advanced to the National Quarterfinals and will face its Peach Belt Conference rival No. 8 Flagler Thursday May 22, at 9 a.m. for a chance to advance to the Final Four. 

In their fourth overall and second consecutive appearance at the National Championship site, the Nighthawks have become seasoned veterans on the big stage.

Wednesday's win over the Knights came in swift fashion as UNG looks to improve upon its National Semifinalist finish from a year ago.

The Nighthawks quickly picked up a pair of wins in #1 and #3 doubles to take a 1-0 lead early Wednesday morning.

Before the morning dew had fully evaporated, Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) women's doubles No. 7 senior pairing of Angelina Linnikova and Carolina Reis won the #1 doubles battle 6-1.

At #3, senior Ashley Moinard and freshman Vasilissa Kupriyanova defeated Kyra Bergmann and Marie Bertran 6-4 to snag the overall match point.

After the tone-setting victory in doubles, the Nighthawks kept their foot on the pedal in singles.

Both Linnikova and Kupriyanova dominated their first sets with 6-0 wins.

Moinard and Reis took their openers 6-4 while junior Emily Bush won her first set at #6 singles 6-2. 

The domination continued into the second set for UNG. 

ITA women's singles No. 2 Linnikova continued her record-setting season and maintained her perfect 24-0 mark with a 6-1 dismantling of Maja Makal to secure the second point for the Nighthawks.

Right next to her, Kupriyanova was only a few points away from her own 6-1, second-set victory. The rookie grabbed her 13th win of the year a few minutes later, giving UNG a 3-0 lead in the overall contest.

It was just moments later that No. 55 Moinard defeated Eva Rivoal 6-2 in the second set, clinching the victory for the Nighthawks. 

Moinard was the clincher in UNG's National Quarterfinal victory over Academy of Art last season to push the program deeper into the NCAA Tournament than it had ever gone before. 

As a senior leader on this team, she came through again Wednesday to advance the Nighthawks to the next round. 

Now UNG will face a familiar foe in the Saints. 

Flagler defeated No. 41 Charleston (WV) 4-0 in its own Round of 16 matchup. Now the Saints and Nighthawks, who tied with fellow PBC member Columbus State for first place for the conference regular-season championship, will face off again for the third time this season.

UNG won the first meeting 4-3 at the ITA Indoor Team National Championships back in February. However, Flagler exacted revenge in Dahlonega on March 29 with a 4-3 victory of its own. 

Now the two teams will meet in the Sunshine State for all the marbles. The match begins from Altamonte Springs on Thursday morning at 9 a.m.