Oct. 8, 2009

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - University of Tennessee senior Caitlin Whoriskey and sophomore Natalie Pluskota begin doubles and singles play at the 2009 Riviera/International Tennis Association All-American Tournament hosted by the Riviera Tennis Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Thursday. Doubles play opens at 10 a.m. PST with singles following at 1:45 p.m. PST.

The No. 7-ranked Lady Vol duo, which received an automatic bid into the championships after reaching the semifinals in the NCAA Doubles Championships, is coming off a flight title at the Furman Fall Classic two weeks ago. The pair will face the 15th-ranked Notre Dame combo of Kristy Frilling and Kali Krisik in first round doubles action.

In singles, Whoriskey and Pluskota will compete on opposite sides of the draw, facing the nation's No. 1 and No. 2-ranked players, respectively. The No. 27-ranked Whoriskey received a wild card berth into the singles main draw after finishing off a stellar summer as a member of the prestigious United States Tennis Association Summer Collegiate Team. She is slated to square off with top-seeded Maria Mosolova from Northwestern.

Pluskota, meanwhile, garnered an automatic bid after defeating seven opponents in five days to claim the singles title at the ITA/United States Tennis Association National Summer Championships on Aug. 11 in Bloomington, Ind. Currently ranked No. 84 in the country, she will take on second-seeded Chelsey Gullickson from Southeastern Conference foe Georgia in the opening round.

Following competition this week, the Lady Vols will next be in action, Oct. 21-26, when they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to compete in the Wilson/ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships.

THURSDAY SCHEDULE

Doubles No. 7 Caitlin Whoriskey/Natalie Pluskota (UT) vs. No. 15 Kristy Frilling/Kali Krisik (ND) - 10 a.m. PST

Singles No. 27 Caitlin Whoriskey (UT) vs. No. 1 Maria Mosolova (NW) - 1:45 p.m. PST

No. 84 Natalie Pluskota (UT) vs. No. 2 Chelsey Gullickson (UGA) - 12 p.m. PST