April 16, 2010

Match Notes

By Donnie Conley, Media Relations Student Assistant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--The No. 14-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team (13-7, 7-3 SEC) will head south to Athens, Ga., to take on the No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs at 12 p.m. Saturday.

On the line will be second place in the SEC East. Georgia (12-6, 8-2 SEC) currently sits a match ahead of the Lady Vols but UT can clinch the spot with a victory.

"Obviously, we know that Georgia has been a great team," Tennessee co-head coach Mike Patrick said. "We're coming in on their senior day. Like us, they've been a little beaten up, so it's going to be a pretty even match.

"We're going to have to play to our potential to win. We've done everything we need to do as far as preparation goes, it's just about executing."

Tennessee is coming off an impressive 4-3 victory over then-No. 15 South Carolina. The Big Orange fell behind 3-2 before senior Zsófia Zubor and junior Rosalía Alda reeled off consecutive singles victories to secure the win for the Lady Vols.

The Orange and White have been dominant in doubles play all season, capturing the doubles point in 16 of 20 regular season contests. A big reason for this success has been the high level at which UT's No. 1 and No. 2 doubles teams have played.

Caitlin Whoriskey and Maria Sorbello, UT's top pairing, are one of the hottest doubles duos in the nation. Since teaming up in mid-February, they are a perfect 13-0, including victories over two top-25 squads last weekend.

Whoriskey and Sorbello rocketed up the ITA doubles rankings, climbing from 66th to No. 11. Also among the nation's top doubles pairs is Tennessee's No. 2 team of Rosalía Alda and Zsófia Zubor, who rank 22nd in the ITA poll. For the season, they are 25-8 including a 7-3 mark in SEC play.

In singles play, Whoriskey has been equally as impressive. Her 27-10 record is tops on the team and she currently sits at No. 11 in the polls. She has won eight of her previous 10 matches and has a 15-5 record in dual matches.

The Orange and White is also looking to get healthy. Junior Jennifer Meredith missed most of the fall season with an injury, but has posted a 5-4 record in dual matches this spring. Freshman Kata Szekely has also battled back from an injury, recording her first-ever SEC win on April 4 against Mississippi State.

Georgia, which holds a 39-6 all-time advantage over the Lady Vols, will be the 17th ranked opponent that the Lady Vols have faced this season.

A link to live scoring of the match will be available at UTLadyVols.com. Fans are reminded to follow the Lady Vols on Twitter at www.twitter.com/UTLadyVols.