Feb. 11, 2007

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The No. 30 University of Tennessee women's tennis team (3-1) was able to open up the home portion of its schedule with an impressive victory, downing the No. 27 University of Virginia (4-2), 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at the Goodfriend Tennis Center. Sophomore Samantha Orlin and freshman Connor Vogel were key contributors for the Orange and White, as each claimed wins in both their singles and doubles contests on the day.

The victory also improved co-head coach Mike Patrick's record in home openers at Tennessee to 19-1, while fellow head coach Sonia Hahn-Patrick's record in those matches moved to 9-1. The lone defeat was a 5-2 loss at the hands of North Carolina on Jan. 21, 2006.

The Lady Vols picked up the doubles point for the third-consecutive match, winning at the No. 1 and 2 spots. After senior Blakeley Griffith and freshman Zsófia Zubor dropped an 8-1 decision to Brintney Larson and Maggie Yahner at the third position, UT was able to bounce back and claim the final two matches and early 1-0 advantage.

Freshman Caitlin Whoriskey and Orlin combined efforts to tie the doubles point at one match for each team, defeating the Cavalier pairing of Caroline Hammond and Lara Alexander, 8-5. The Lady Vol duo opened the contest on fire, jumping out to a 5-1 lead, before Virginia found its stride and won five of the next six points to take a 6-4 advantage. Orlin and Whoriskey were up to the challenge, however, and answered with three consecutive points of their own to claim the victory.

On center court, the UT duo of junior Ghizela Schutte and freshman Connor Vogel and the UVA tandem of Kristen McVitty and Jennifer Stevens engaged in an epic battle that lasted nearly two hours. It was the Lady Vols, who emerged victorious, as Schutte and Vogel rallied from a 7-5 deficit to earn a hard-fought, 9-8 (7-3), victory.

Tennessee got its first break at 3-2 when Virginia double-faulted four consecutive times. The score then moved to 4-3 after the two squads traded the next two points. UVA was able to tie it at four apiece, but the Lady Vols reclaimed the lead, 5-4, on a laser by Schutte down the line. Virginia answered by winning three consecutive points to take its first lead of the match at 7-5.

UT moved the score to within one at 7-6 before tying the match at seven behind the strong serving of Schutte. The Cavaliers jumped back out into the lead at 8-7, but a McVitty shot landed long in the next game and tied the score at eight. Despite dropping the first two points in the tie-breaker, Schutte and Vogel were able to steady themselves and win seven of the next eight to give their team the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead in the match.

Griffith and Vogel kept the momentum going for Tennessee, as they rolled to identical 6-2, 6-3 victories in their matches at No. 1 and 3 singles, respectively. Vogel was the first to finish, downing Stevens, while the nation's 12th-ranked player, Griffith, was just moments behind with her win coming over Larson.

The Cavaliers finally got on the scoreboard, when McVitty took out Schutte at the No. 2 singles position, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Virginia then pulled the team score to within just one at 3-2, as Yahner claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory over Whoriskey on the fourth court.

Orlin, however, made sure that the Lady Vols earned their third-consecutive dual-match win, blowing past her opponent, Lindsey Pereira, 6-1, 6-4, at No. 5 singles. Both Orlin and Griffith now lead the team with 3-1 dual-match singles records this season. The scoring was finalized when Yahner earned the Cavalier's third team point of the day with a 6-3, 6-4, win over Zubor on the sixth singles spot.

The No. 30 Orange and White will return to the court Saturday, Feb. 17, to face No. 21 Michigan in the second of a five-match homestand. First serve is set for 11 a.m. at Goodfriend Tennis Center.