March 12, 2004

Box Score

HILO, Hawai'i.

The Lady Vol tennis team had its three-match win streak snapped, as sixth-ranked Duke University defeated the 36th-ranked University of Tennessee, 4-0, on Friday. The Blue Devils improve to 8-1 with the victory, while UT falls to 8-8 this season.

Duke got off to a strong start in doubles play, as the tandem of Julia Smith and Tory Zawacki defeated senior Tammy Encina (Miami Beach, Fla.) and sophomore Melissa Schaub (Lexington, Ohio), 8-0, at the No. 1 position. DU then clinched the doubles point with an 8-3 victory by Saras Arasu and Amanda Johnson against sophomore Sabita Maharaj (Gainesville, Fla.) and junior Ashley Robards (Henderson, Ky.) at the No. 2 spot.

The Blue Devils did not slow down in singles play, as Zawacki defeated Robards, 6-1, 6-3, at the No. 3 position to give Duke a 2-0 lead in the match. Smith then downed UT freshman Blakeley Griffith (Middleburg, Va.), 6-4, 6-2, at No. 4 singles to give DU a 3-0 lead. The loss ended a three-match win streak by Griffith, who now owns a singles record of 24-7 this year.

Fifth-ranked senior Amanda Johnson then sealed the match for Duke with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over 24th-ranked Encina at No. 1singles. The win marked the seventh consecutive victory for the Blue Devils.

Of Tennessee's eight losses this year, six have come by scores of 3-4. Additionally, in their first 16 matches of the season, the Lady Vols have faced 14 ranked opponents and 10 teams that received bids to the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

UT will complete its Hawaiian stay with a clash against No. 18 Notre Dame on Saturday at 10 a.m. HT. After returning from the Aloha State, Tennessee continues a string of six matches in 12 days, as it plays host to 10th-ranked Texas on Wed., March 17, 33rd-ranked Mississippi on Fri., March 19 and Mississippi State on Sun., March 21.

#36 Tennessee vs. #6 Duke
Hilo, Hawai'i. - March 12, 2004
Final score: DU 4, UT 0

Singles
No. 1 #5 Amanda Johnson (DU) def. #24 Tammy Encina (UT), 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 #73 Sabita Maharaj (UT) vs. Jennifer Jika (DU), Unfinished
No. 3 Tory Zawacki (DU) def. Ashley Robards (UT), 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 Julie Smith (DU) def. Blakeley Griffith (UT), 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 Majen Immink (UT) vs. Saras Arasu (DU), Unfinished
No. 6 Victoria Jones (UT) vs. Kristin Cargill (DU), Unfinished
Order of finish: 3, 4, 1*

Doubles
No. 1 Smith/Zawacki (DU) def. Encina/Schaub (UT), 8-0
No. 2 Arasu/Johnson (DU) def. Maharaj/Robards (UT), 8-3
No. 3 Immink/Kray (UT) vs. Cargill/Zika (DU), Unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2*

*Clinching point