It’s hard to imagine where the Georgia football team would have been this season without the contributions of freshmen All-SEC players A.J. Green and Ben Jones.

The same goes for the No. 2-ranked Georgia women’s tennis team, which boasts a freshman who has quietly strung together a solid first year.

Chelsey Gullickson, the No. 9 singles player in the nation, has posted a 23-6 record in singles matches, including a stellar 14-6 mark against ranked opponents, in her first season as a Bulldog.

Throughout the season, the native of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., has received various accolades for her exceptional play. Most recently, Gullickson was named ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships Most Outstanding Player after the Georgia women finished runner-up to Northwestern Feb. 16 in Madison, Wis. Despite the loss, Gullickson notched perhaps the biggest win of her young career with a straight set 6-4, 6-3 victory over the No. 1 ranked player nationally, Maria Mosolova.

“It was a good tournament, not just for me, but for our whole team,” Gullickson said. “After beating the No. 1 girl, it gave me even more confidence. I have more confidence than I had at the beginning of the year, so I think things are going to get better, not just for me, but for the whole team.”

Gullickson, who decided to attend Georgia over beginning a career in the professional ranks, admitted to being nervous in her first few college matches.

“I was a little intimidated coming in here as a freshman, but I feel like I have proved myself in beating the NCAA [singles] champion [McDowell] and the No. 1 girl [Mosolova],” Gullickson said.

One person who isn’t ready to get too carried away with Gullickson’s early season success is her head coach, Jeff Wallace.

“She’s worked hard and [improving is] the goal – to get better,” Wallace said. “I want to focus a lot more on the process versus the end results.”

Added Gullickson: “I am holding a little bit more expectations, but I am not putting any pressure on myself, so I am just going to go in and see how it goes.”