March 16, 2010

By: Lindsey Williford, Media Relations Graduate Assistant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - After finishing the weekend with a 1-1 record, the University of Tennessee women's tennis team (9-5, 3-1 SEC) fell three spots to No. 15 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.

Despite the team drop, the Lady Vols' solid doubles play has continued to earn high recognition and they now boast three teams among the nation's top 60.

Senior Caitlin Whoriskey still remains atop the collegiate doubles world alongside sophomore partner Natalie Pluskota, but she can also be found further down the list at No. 57 when partnering with junior Maria Sorbello. While Whoriskey and Pluskota have not played together in the last seven matches, they still hold an overall record of 19-1 and are the reigning Riviera/ITA All-American Tournament Champions.

Being ranked as a team is nothing new for Sorbello and Whoriskey. The Tennessee tandem earned a No. 33 national ranking in the ITA's 2008-09 preseason poll. After Pluskota's injury, it was an easy decision for Co-Head Coaches Mike Patrick and Sonia Hahn-Patrick to bring the two together again.

"It's great for these young ladies who didn't complain and made the change to keep us competitive in light of so many injuries to their teammates," Mike Patrick said.

The junior-senior combination has definitely kept the Big Orange competitive, winning all seven matches together and posting a Southeastern Conference record of 4-0. All of the triumphs have come from the top lineup position.

After falling in the March 2 poll, junior Rosalía Alda and senior Zsófia Zubor soared into the top-20 as the 18th-best pair in the country. The duo has an overall record of 21-6, two of which have come over other nationally-rated teams. Having played all dual contests from the second roster spot, Alda and Zubor are 10-3.

"This is an outstanding team, as well," Patrick said. "They will continue working to improve and keep us competitive against all opponents we will face this season."

Also updated this week was the singles list. Whoriskey dropped two spots to No. 12, while Sorbello is slated as the 58th-ranked individual in the nation.

Full ratings can be found at www.ITATennis.com. A new team poll is expected to be published on March 23, with updated singles and doubles lists coming out on March 30.

The Lady Vols take a week off from competition before continuing SEC play with a 4 p.m. ET contest on March 26 against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., followed by a home matchup versus Arkansas at noon, two days later.

ITA National Rankings (March 16)

Singles

No. 12: Caitlin Whoriskey

No. 58: Maria Sorbello

Doubles

No. 1: Caitlin Whoriskey/Natalie Pluskota

No. 18: Rosalía Alda/Zsófia Zubor

No. 57: Caitlin Whoriskey/Maria Sorbello