Jan. 24, 2010

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By: Lindsey Williford, Media Relations Graduate Assistant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - For the second match in a row the No. 11 University of Tennessee women's tennis team (2-0) used a solid doubles effort to propel itself to victory as it picked up a 4-3 decision over East Tennessee State (1-1), on Sunday afternoon at the Goodfriend Tennis Center.

"Despite not being at full-tilt, our doubles squads played with heart and it was nice to see them all win," Co-Head Coach Mike Patrick said. "Winning the doubles point helps a lot. There are still areas of improvement but our teams are good and they put us in a solid position going into singles."

Much like its showdown with No. 33 Illinois on Friday, the Big Orange proved to be dominant in doubles action, led by the No. 1 duo of senior Caitlin Whoriskey and sophomore Natalie Pluskota which opened the day with an 8-2 triumph over the ETSU pairing of Yevgeniya Stupak and Kelly Holtzhausen.

Just moments after, sophomore Katie Lee and junior Maria Sorbello teamed up to grab an 8-2 decision of their own over Tara Sheets and Andra Voinea, giving Tennessee the doubles point and 1-0 lead. Junior Rosalía Alda and senior Zsófia Zubor completed the sweep by downing Paula Jaime and Karina Kedzo, 8-4.

The Lady Vols carried their momentum over into singles play, winning three of the five contests. Whoriskey, ranked sixth in the nation, was first off the court after a 6-0, 6-1, thrashing of Stupak. Alda wasted no time dispatching her opponent either, taking down Holtzhausen by a score of 6-2, 6-3, on court three. It would be Zubor, however, who would clinch the team win for UT after defeating Kedzo 6-3, 6-4.

Both Sorbello and Lee fell in heartbreakers to their respective opponents. Sorbello lost to Jaime, 0-6, 7-5, 0-1 (10-8), while Lee was defeated by Voinea, 6-3, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4). Due to injury, Pluskota's scheduled match against Diana Navrostska was not played.

Tennessee will remain at home next weekend when it hosts No. 22 Vanderbilt, No. 27 TCU and No. 31 Texas for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kick-Off Weekend, Jan. 29-30. Should the Lady Vols advance past Texas on Fri., Jan. 29, it would play the winner between TCU and Vanderbilt the next afternoon for the right to move on to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis., Feb. 11-14.

"The ITA Kick-Off will be a good measuring stick for us," Patrick said. "We look forward competing against a Texas team that plays much better than its No. 31 ranking."

Live scoring for Tennessee's matches will be available at www.UTLadyVols.com.

Match Results

Singles

1: No. 1 Caitlin Whoriskey (UT) def. Yevgeniya Stupak (ETSU) - 6-0, 6-1

2: Paula Jaime (ETSU) def. No. 51 Maria Sorbello (UT) - 6-0, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8)

3: Rosalía Alda (UT) def. Kelly Holtzhausen (ETSU) - 6-2, 6-3

4: Zsófia Zubor (UT) def. Karina Kedzo (ETSU) - 6-3, 6-4

5: Diana Navrostska (ETSU) def. Natalie Pluskota (UT) - by walkover

6: Andra Voinea (ETSU) def. Katie Lee (UT) - 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4)

Doubles

1: No. 1 Caitlin Whoriskey/Natalie Pluskota (UT) def. Yevgeniya Stupak/Kelly Holtzhausen (ETSU) - 8-2

2: Rosalía Alda/Zsófia Zubor (UT) def. Paula Jaime/Karina Kedzo (ETSU) - 8-4

3: Katie Lee/Maria Sorbello (UT) def. Andra Voinea/Tara Sheets (ETSU) - 8-2

Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 3, 2); Singles (1, 3, 5, 4*, 2, 6)