Oct. 25, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Three different members of the University of Tennessee women's tennis team, including singles participant junior Caitlin Whoriskey and the Lady Vol doubles pairing of sophomores Maria Sorbello and Rosalía Alda, advanced to the quarterfinals of their respective draws on Saturday at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southeast Regional Championships, being held at the Indoor Tennis Center on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Whoriskey, ranked No. 37 in the nation and seeded ninth at the competition, picked up a pair of singles triumphs. The East Sandwich, Mass., product first took out Elon's Ana Milian, 6-3, 6-2, before notching a straight-set, 6-3, 6-3, win over Shinann Featherston from North Carolina. She will square off with either Knoxville native Berkeley Brock from North Carolina State or Clemson's Keri Wong in the quarterfinal round on Sunday.

Junior Zsófia Zubor and Alda were also in action in the singles draw on Saturday, but neither was able to come away with a victory. Zubor fell, 6-3, 6-2, to Sasha Kulikova from host-school Wake Forest, while Alda dropped a, 6-4, 6-2, decision to Vanderbilt's Jackie Wu.

In the doubles portion of the competition, the tandem of Alda and Sorbello was the only Tennessee team to move on, recording its third win in as many days, knocking out the seventh-seeded Furman combination of Laura Gioia and Monica Arguello with a hard-fought, 9-8 (1), victory. They will take on the No. 2-seeded North Carolina pairing of Sanaz Marand and Sophie Grabinski on Sunday for the right to advance to the semifinal round.

The Orange and White's other two teams did not fare quite as well unfortunately, as the top-seeded duo of Whoriskey and Zubor lost, 8-2, to the Memphis unit of Ashley Murdock and Marjorie Ondeck, and the tandem of sophomore Jennifer Meredith and freshman Natalie Pluskota was defeated, 8-3, by the Clemson combo of Federica van Adrichem and Josipa Bek.

Following this weekend's action, Tennessee will close out the fall portion of its schedule Nov. 6-9 at the Southeastern Conference Coaches Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

SATURDAY RESULTS

MAIN SINGLES DRAW
Round of 32
No. 37 Caitlin Whoriskey (UT) def. Ana Milian (Elon) - 6-3, 6-2
No. 37 Caitlin Whoriskey (UT) def. Shinann Featherston (UNC) - 6-3, 6-3
Sasha Kulikova (Wake Forest) def. Zsófia Zubor (UT) - 6-3, 6-2
Jackie Wu (Vanderbilt) def. Rosalía Alda (UT) - 6-4, 6-2

MAIN DOUBLES DRAW
Round of 16
Ashley Murdock/Marjorie Ondeck (Memphis) def. Caitlin Whoriskey/Zsófia Zubor (UT) - 8-2
Maria Sorbello/Rosalía Alda (UT) def. Laura Gioia/Monica Arguello (Furman) - 9-8 (1)
Federica van Adrichem/Josipa Bek (Clemson) def. Jennifer Meredith/Natalie Pluskota (UT) - 8-3

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

MAIN SINGLES DRAW
Quarterfinals
No. 37 Caitlin Whoriskey (UT) vs. Berkeley Brock (NC State) or Keri Wong (Clemson)

MAIN DOUBLES DRAW
Quarterfinals
Maria Sorbello/Rosalía Alda (UT) vs. Sanaz Marand/Sophie Grabinski (UNC)