Feb. 6, 2010

Match Notes

By: Lindsey Williford, Media Relations Graduate Assistant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The No. 10 University of Tennessee women's tennis team puts its 4-0 record on the line Sunday afternoon when it travels to Blacksburg, Va., to square off with 54th-ranked Virginia Tech. First serve for the contest is set for noon at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center.

The Lady Vols are perfect two weeks into the season, with victories over Illinois, East Tennessee State, Texas and Vanderbilt. This weekend's contest, however, will mark their first trip away from Rocky Top after four consecutive home matches.

This past weekend, the Orange and White picked up a pair of victories as part of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kick-Off Weekend. The first to fall was Texas, which UT defeated by a 4-1 score on Jan. 29. The Lady Vols won the doubles point and quickly snagged points at the first, second and fourth roster spots in singles to claim the team victory and move on to the championship.

The following day, the Big Orange defeated Vanderbilt in a close 4-3 victory that ultimately came down to a third and match-deciding frame between UT senior Zsófia Zubor and VU's Heather Steinbauer. With the right to advance into the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on the line, Zubor prevailed and sent the Lady Vols to the tournament for the first time since 2004.

Junior Maria Sorbello took home Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honors for her efforts over the past two weeks. The Australia native was perfect in the team's triumphs in Kick-Off Weekend play, capturing a pair of singles wins at the No. 2 position and a doubles win at the No. 3 spot. She improved her overall singles record to 13-4, including a 3-1 mark in dual-match play. She has two match-clinching victories and her three defeats have been against nationally-ranked opponents.

This contest marks the first meeting between the schools since the 1987-88 season, Mike Patrick's inaugural year as the Lady Vols' head coach. Tennessee holds a 7-0 all-time record over the Hokies.

Live scoring for this weekend's event will be available at www.UTLadyVols.com or www.HokieSports.com.

Following this weekend's challenge, UT will head to the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis., Feb. 12-15, for the National Indoor Championships. They face No.2 Northwestern (3-0) in the first round.