Sept. 26, 2009

LADY VOLS CLAIM TWO DOUBLES FLIGHT TITLES

By: Lindsey Williford, Media Relations Graduate Assistant

FURMAN, S.C. - Doubles play concluded Saturday morning and the University of Tennessee women's tennis team took home two flight championships at the Furman Fall Classic at the Mickel Tennis Center in Greenville, S.C.

The Lady Vols duo of junior Rosalía Alda and senior Zsófia Zubor closed out the doubles portion of the tournament in style, earning its second-consecutive flight title in as many tournaments. The team of Alda and Zubor were given a run for their money in semifinal action but pulled out an 8-6 win over University of North Carolina's Katrina Tsang and Shinann Featherston. In finals play the pair faced a familiar opponent in Jackie Wu and Chelsea Preeg of Vanderbilt University. It was just two weeks ago at the SEC Coaches Tournament that Alda and Zubor defeated the same Commodore duo, 8-2. Wu and Preeg would fight hard, but fall once again to the Big Orange pair, 8-5.

The No. 8 ranked Tennessee tandem of senior Caitlin Whoriskey and sophomore Natalie Pluskota also took home a flight title. This is the first tournament for the pair and it emerged victorious against Brittany Wowchuck and Elena Chernyakova of Northwestern University, 8-3 for the Flight One championship. Before defeating Wowchuck and Chernyakova, the Tennessee duo downed Josipa Bek and Ina Hadziseljimovic of Clemson, 8-2.

Junior Maria Sorbello and freshman Kata Szekely saw their winning streak in round two of Flight Three doubles. The pair faced Florida State's Jessica Wente and Amy Saregeant, but couldn't defeat the Seminoles dropping the match 6-8. Sorbello and Szekely would bounce right back in the third-place match however, quickly disposing of South Carolina's Adriana Pereira and Miljana Jocic, 8-1.

The final round of singles will commence Sunday at 9 a.m. Whoriskey is looking for her first flight title of the season after beating the No. 9 and No. 12 players in the country. Sorbello and Szekely are also vying for championships in their respective flights.