MORROW, Ga. – On August 18, 1997, Clayton State Athletics completed a significant transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. The 2017-18 season marked the 20^th anniversary of that accomplishment. Over a seven week span, the Sports Information Office is releasing the top 20 moments in the NCAA era, one on each Monday, Wednesday and Friday with select exceptions.
  The countdown continues with the No. 13 moment, Women's Tennis Claims Rare PBC Championship in 2001.
 
In a league dominated by Armstrong State, winner of 18 Peach Belt Conference Championships in 20 years and 10 NCAA Division II National Titles, Clayton State women's tennis pulled off the upset in 2001. That year they won the only PBC title, regular season or tournament, in one of the program's best early seasons.
 
The season also marked just the second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, a trip that would see them one win shy of a trip to the NCAA Division II National Championships.
 
Below are the original releases from the regular season clinching match (April 1, 2001), their final NCAA Tournament match against No. 5 Rollins (May 6, 2001) and recap of the Lakers tremendous season (June 4, 2001).
  Kennesaw, Ga. - The 7^th ranked Clayton College & State University (CC&SU) women's tennis team put the finishing touches on an undefeated Peach Belt Conference regular season Sunday, slamming 12th ranked Kennesaw State University 6-3, and in the process captured the school's first-ever PBC regular season championship.
 
The Lady Lakers, a perfect 10-0 in the conference, won the title winning two of the three doubles matches and four of the six singles matches. The regular season PBC championship is the first regular season title for Clayton State in any sport since joining the Peach Belt. The only other PBC title belongs to the soccer team as it won the 2000 PBC tournament.
 
In singles, CCSU second-seeded freshman Nathalia Collantes (Bucaramanga, Colombia) won 6-1 and 6-0 over freshman Simmi Rani (Chandigarh, India), while fourth-seeded Clayton State freshman Natalia Koulechova (Moscow, Russia) defeated senior Lisa Sehannie (Benoni, South Africa) 6-1 and 6-3. Senior Lady Laker fifth seed Tatiana Semenova (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) defeated sophomore Mary Spearman (Roswell, GA) 6-0 and 6-0, while CCSU sophomore Fernanda Zurita (Guayaquil, Ecuador), the team's sixth seed, defeated sophomore Megan George (Woodstock, GA) 6-2 and 6-1.
 
Top-seeded CCSU freshman Jackeline Nieto (Caracas, Venezuela) fell in three sets to freshman Gabriele Masiliunaite (Kaunas, Lithuania) 6-4, 1-6 and 6-2, while third-seeded senior Leah Brownell (Penticton, British Columbia) was defeated 6-3 and 6-2 by freshman Loraire Rosmuller (Amsterdam, The Netherlands).
 
In doubles action, the second-seeded team of Nieto/Collantes won 8-4 over Rosmuller/Spearman, while the third-seeded Lady Laker team of Zurita/Koulechova won 8-5 over Rani and freshman Leslie Bechtold (Marietta, GA). The Clayton State top-seeded team of Brownell/Semenova fell 8-5 to Masiliunaite/Sehannie.
 
Singles
1. Gabriele Masiliunaite (KSU) defeated Jackeline Nieto (CCSU) 6-4; 1-6; 6-2
2. Nathalia Collantes (CCSU) defeated Simmi Rani (KSU) 6-1; 6-0
3. Loraire Rosmuller (KSU) defeated Leah Brownell (CCSU) 6-3; 6-2
4. Natalia Koulechova (CCSU) defeated senior Lisa Sehannie (KSU) 6-1; 6-3
5. Tatiana Semenova (CCSU) defeated Mary Spearman (KSU) 6-0; 6-0
6. Fernanda Zurita (CCSU) defeated Megan George (KSU) 6-2; 6-1
 
Doubles
1. Masiliunaite/Sehannie (KSU) defeated Brownell/Semenova (CCSU) 8-5
2. Nieto/Collantes (CCSU) defeated Rosmuller/Spearman (KSU) 8-4
3. Zurita/Koulechova (CCSU) defeated Rani/Bechtold (KSU) 8-5
  WINTER PARK, Fla. - With a berth to the NCAA Division II National Tennis Championships on the line, a heavyweight matchup between Clayton College & State University and Rollins College went down to the wire, but in the end, the Lady Lakers came up one point short.
 
Eighth-ranked Clayton State fell to 5^th ranked and host Rollins College 5-4 in the NCAA Division II South Regional finals, ending the season for the Lady Lakers. With the win, Rollins advances to the 16-team women's national tournament field May 10-14 at the University of West Florida.
 
The Lady Lakers led 4-1 in the match but Rollins came storming back and won the four remaining singles matches to claim the slim victory.
 
"It's tough losing after we were up 4-1," said head coach Elizabeth Nieto, "But, I can't be that disappointed because we played really well. I'm proud of the way we battled today. It's been a great season, and we have put Clayton State tennis on the map this year."
 
In doubles action, the top-seeded team of Leah Brownell and Tatiana Semenova won 8-6 over Anzela Zguna and Vanessa Caddick (RC), while the No. 2 doubles team of Jackeline Nieto and Nathalia Collantes won 8-6 over Jenna Lavina and Jessica Niebauer (RC). The third-seeded team of Maria Zurita and Natalia Koulechova fell 9-7 to Carla Prieto and Jill Oppenheim (RC).
 
In singles play, fifth-seeded Semenova (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan) won 6-2 and 6-1 over Niebauer (RC), while sixth-seeded sophomore Zurita (Guayaquil, Ecuador) won 6-2 and 6-4 over Cahterine Picton (RC).
 
After winning an 8-6 tiebreaker to take the first set 7-6, top-seeded freshman Nieto (Caracas, Venezuela) dropped the next two sets 6-4 and 6-1, losing to Zguna (RC), the nation's top-ranked Division II player. Second-seeded senior Brownell (Penticton, British Columbia) fell 6-3 and 6-2 to Prieto.
 
Third seed Collantes (Bucaramanga, Colombia) fell 6-3 and 6-2 in the final two sets after winning the first set 6-1 over Vanessa Caddick (RC). Fourth-seeded freshman Koulechova also fell in three sets to Lavina (RC) after winning the first set 7-5. Koulechova (Moscow, Russia) lost in the final two sets 6-3 and 6-1.
 
Rollins 5, Clayton State 4
SINGLES
1. Anzela Zguna (RC) def. Jackeline Nieto (CS), 6-7, 6-4, 6-1
2. Carla Prieto (RC) def. Leah Brownell (CS), 6-3, 6-2
3. Vanessa Caddick (RC) def. Nathalia Collantes (CS), 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
4. Jenna Lavina (RC) def. Nathalia Kovlechova (CS), 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
5. Tatiana Semenova (CS) def. Jessica Niebauer (RC), 6-2, 6-1
6. Fernanda Zurita (CS) def. Catherine Picton (RC), 6-2, 6-4
 
DOUBLES
1. Brownell/Semenova (CS) def. Zguna/ Caddick (RC), 8-6
2. Nieto/ Collantes (CS) def. Lavina/ Niebauer (RC), 8-6
3. Prieto/ Jill Oppenheim (RC) def. Zurita/ Kovlechova (CS), 9-7
 
Records: Rollins 19-5; Clayton State 17-3
  MORROW, Ga. - After its first ever Peach Belt Conference regular season championship and a trip to the NCAA Championships, the Clayton College & State University women's tennis team earned a 10^th place ranking in the final WingspanBank.Com Division II Collegiate National Tennis Rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
 
The Lady Lakers closed the season with a 17-3 record, falling in the NCAA Championships to Rollins 5-4. CCSU captured its first ever PBC regular season championship with a perfect 10-0 conference record and climbed as high as seventh in the national rankings. The squad was also ranked 7^th in the final South Region poll, arguably the nation's toughest region.
 
In addition to CCSU's team rankings, the squad also had two players named among the South Region's best.
 
Freshman Jackeline Nieto (Caracas Venezuela) and Nathalia Collantes (Bucaramanga, Colombia) were both named among Top-30 players in the South at No. 25 and No. 30, respectively. As a doubles team, Nieto and Collantes were ranked 15^th.
 
Nieto played No. 1 singles for the squad this season and saved her best for last, taking the No. 1 player in the country, Rollins' Anzela Zgunato, to three sets in the NCAA Championships. Collantes posted a 17-3 dual match record at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, and in doubles, the duo finished with an impressive 18-1 dual match record. 
 
Schedule of NCAA 20^th Anniversary Countdown Releases
No. 1 (July 11)
No. 2 (July 9)
No. 3 (July 5)
No. 4 (July 2)
No. 5 (June 29)
No. 6 (June 27)
No. 7 (June 25)
No. 8 (June 22)
No. 9 (June 20)
No. 10 (June 18)
No. 11 (June 15)
No. 12 (June 13)
No. 13 Women's Tennis Claims Rare PBC Championship in 2001 (June 11)
No. 14 Women's Soccer Sweeps PBC Titles and Heads to NCAA's in 2005 (June 8)
No. 15 Women's Basketball Makes First Elite Eight in 2006-07 (June 6)
No. 16 Men's Cross Country Delivers Record Setting 2005 Season (June 4)
No. 17 Women's Basketball Wins No. 1 vs. No. 2 Game vs. Lander on February 10, 2011 (June 1)
No. 18 Men's Basketball Wins First Ever PBC Championship in 2001-02 Regular Season Finale (May 30)
No. 19 Women's Cross Country Wins PBC, Heads to 2012 NCAA National Championships (May 28)
No. 20 Women's Tennis Makes NCAA Tournament in 1999 (May 25)