Feb. 25, 2005

Results |  Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The 19th-ranked Lady Vol tennis team won its sixth consecutive contest on Friday night, defeating No. 65 Ohio State, 7-0. The Big Orange set the tone early, winning all three doubles matches for the first time this season. Tennessee now has its longest winning streak since the 2003 squad won seven consecutive from March 2-22. Its 6-2 start is also the best in two years as that squad of orange-clad players began its campaign with an 8-2 mark.

Blakeley Griffith (Middleburg, Va. / Loudoun County H.S.) won, 6-0, 6-0, over OSU's Anna Volberg in the No. 2 position to earn her first double-love victory since the sophomore's initial match as a Lady Vol, a win over Marti Morris of Furman on Sept. 19, 2003, at the St. Mary's Fall Tennis Classic.

Shortly after Griffith's win on Friday, junior Sabita Maharaj (Gainesville, Fla. / Buchholz H.S.), ranked 70th nationally, earned a resounding victory of her own, defeating Emily DeCamilla, 6-0, 6-1.

Freshman Bryce Marable (Darien, Ill. / Hinsdale South H.S.) then clinched the team victory for Tennessee with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Lindsey Adams. She was down 2-1 in the first set before finishing strong by taking 11-of-the-next-12 games.

At the No. 4 position, sophomore Victoria Jones (Tyne & Wear, U.K. / South Tyneside College) defeated Ohio State's Sonia Ruzimovsky, 6-4, 6-4. The second set was close throughout as neither player could garner greater than a two-point advantage until the final score.

The next match to finish saw Robards top Lindsay Bryan, 6-3, 6-1, while Schaub rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the second set to defeat Messmer, 6-4, 6-4.

In doubles play, Marable and Griffith teamed up at No. 2 to win the last five games and top DeCamilla and Meredith Vincent, 8-2. In the No. 1 position, Schaub and Maharaj defeated Adams and Ruzimovsky, 8-3, to clinch the doubles point. At No. 3, freshman Ghizela Schutte (Ninapark, South Africa / Damelin College) earned an 8-5 win over Messmer and Caitlin O'Keefe, 8-3, completing the doubles sweep.

In exhibition play, Jones teamed with freshman Daron Moore (North Hollywood, Calif. / Campbell Hall School) to defeat Bryan and Emily Howard, 8-2.

The Lady Vols next begin Southeastern Conference play with a pair of road matches, taking on No. 71 Auburn at 4 p.m. CST next Friday and No. 34 Alabama at 1 p.m. CST on March 6.

#19 Tennessee 7, #65 Ohio State 0
Singles competition:
1. #70 Sabita Maharaj (UT) def. Emily DeCamilla (OSU)	6-0, 6-1
2. Blakeley Griffith (UT) def. Anna Volberg (OSU)	6-0, 6-0
3. Bryce Marable (UT) def. Lindsey Adams (OSU)	6-3, 6-0
4. Victoria Jones (UT) def. Sonia Ruzimovsky (OSU)	6-4, 6-4
5. Melissa Schaub (UT) def. Kristin Messmer (OSU)	6-4, 6-4
6. Ashley Robards (UT) def. Lindsay Bryan (OSU)	6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition:
1. Melissa Schaub/Sabita Maharaj (UT) def. Lindsey Adams/Sonia Ruzimovsky (OSU)	8-3
2. Bryce Marable/Blakeley Griffith (UT) def. Emily DeCamilla/Meredith Vincent (OSU)	8-2
3. Ghizela Schutte/Ashley Robards (UT) def. Kristin Messmer/Caitlin O'Keefe (OSU)	8-5
Match Notes:
Ohio State 3-5; National ranking #65 Tennessee 6-2; National ranking #19 Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,1,3,4,6,5)