Feb. 11, 2010

ITA Indoors Match Notes

By: Lindsey Williford, Media Relations Graduate Assistant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.- The 10th-ranked University of Tennessee women's tennis team (4-0) heads to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championships at 10 a.m. ET, on Friday, Feb. 12 in Madison, Wis., where it will face No. 2 and defending tournament champions Northwestern in the first round.

Tennessee is currently riding a four-match win streak during which it has defeated No. 32 Illinois, East Tennessee State, No. 27 Texas and 19th-rated Vanderbilt. The Lady Vols were set to compete at Virginia Tech this past weekend, but inclement weather postponed the match until further notice. The competition in Blacksburg, Va., would have been UT's first road contest of the season.

The Wildcats are looking to defend their crown and become the eighth repeat winner in tournament history. Northwestern, also 4-0, earned its bid to the tournament with victories over No. 51 Old Dominion and 47th-ranked Princeton during the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

The two teams haven't faced each other in a dual-match situation since Feb. 8, 2003. The Wildcats downed the Big Orange, 4-3, to even the all-time series record at 2-2. This past fall, however, senior Caitlin Whoriskey defeated Northwestern's then-No. 1 ranked, Maria Mosolova in the opening round of the Riviera/ITA All-American Tournament. Whoriskey also combined with sophomore partner Natalie Pluskota to down the Wildcat pairing of Brittany Wowchuk and Elena Chernyakova on the final day of the Furman Fall Classic.

The four-day event, scheduled from Feb. 12-15, will take place in the A.C. Nielson Tennis Stadium on the University of Wisconsin's campus. A victory by the Lady Vols means a second-round matchup with either No. 16 Michigan or familiar Southeastern Conference rival Florida.

Live scoring, results, tournament brackets and schedules can be found at http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/w-tennis/.