April 2, 2009

Match Notes

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Fresh off one of its most impressive performances of the season, the No. 13 University of Tennessee women's tennis team (11-4, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) will hit the road for the final time during the regular season, traveling to the Yellowhammer State this weekend for a 4 p.m. ET showdown with No. 25 Alabama (13-3, 3-3) in Tuscaloosa on Friday, April 3, and a 2 p.m. ET matchup with No. 29 Auburn (11-6, 3-2) on Sunday, April 5. Live scoring for both matches will be available at www.UTLadyVols.com.

The Lady Vols split a pair of league contests this past week, dropping a hard-fought, 4-3, decision at No. 23 Arkansas before bouncing back with a dominating, 7-0, shutout over No. 21 LSU at home. While sophomores Jennifer Meredith and Rosalía Alda were the only two Lady Vols to claim wins in both of their singles matches this weekend, it was junior Caitlin Whoriskey who stole the show against the Tigers, defeating the highest ranked opponent of her career, No. 15 Megan Falcon, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. The win marked the East Sandwich, Mass., native's seventh of the season over a ranked opponent and 14th of her career. For her efforts, Whoriskey was named the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week.

She also joined forces with freshman Natalie Pluskota in doubles play to hand the No. 14-rated Tiger team of Falcon and Mykala Hedberg just its fourth loss of the season and first in dual-match play with an 8-5 triumph. Those victories were the highlight of UT's 7-0 sweep over LSU, in which the Big Orange did not drop even a single set while winning all seven singles contests, as well as all three doubles matchups.

The 7-0 sweep was UT's third of the season and first in league play. The Big Orange previously accomplished the feat against then-No. 44 Indiana on Feb. 20 and the University of Central Florida on March 20. The last time Tennessee downed an SEC opponent by a 7-0 score was against Alabama on March 30, 2008.

The Orange and White will close out the regular-season portion of its schedule with a three-match homestand, beginning with a pair of contests next weekend. Tennessee will first host No. 29 Kentucky at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 10, before welcoming 19th-ranked Vanderbilt to Rocky Top at 1 p.m. two days later. Following those matches, the Lady Vols will have a six-day layoff to prepare for its showdown with No. 2-ranked Georgia at Noon on Saturday, April 18.