University of Tennessee Athletics
Sunday, February 11
Bloomington, Ind.
11:00 AM
University of Tennessee
4
at
3
Indiana
Lady Vols Earn Big Win at Indiana, 4-3
February 11, 2018 | Women's Tennis
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Tennessee women's tennis team capped off its three-match weekend with a huge 4-3 win at Indiana on Sunday.
Despite dropping the doubles point, the Lady Vols (9-0) handed the Hoosiers their first loss of the season with strong singles play. UT's nine consecutive wins to open the season is the team's longest winning streak since 2001, when the Lady Vols won 11 in a row.
"I'm really proud of the way our girls competed this whole weekend," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "Today, we competed against a tough Indiana team who pushed us until the very last point. They were better than us in doubles today and put us in what could have been an uncomfortable situation going into singles.
"Luckily, we have some experience losing the doubles point and still winning four singles matches, so we pulled from that knowledge to help us relax and do what we do well: compete. From start to finish in singles, we ran down balls and played with energy. Tactically, we played well with consistency and depth. Everyone on our team is playing well and focused on what it takes to be a championship-caliber team."
In doubles, UT split the first two courts to finish with a win by Arianda Riley and Kaitlin Staines over Madison Appel and Natalie Whalen, 6-2, on Court 2. Despite keeping it close, Indiana was able to pull away on the first court to gain the early advantage.
"Pulling off three wins this weekend was huge for our team," said Riley. "In our first two matches, we executed flawlessly what we've been working on in practice, and as a whole, played incredibly focused with the right level of high energy to help us take care of business. Playing against Indiana today simply came down to our ability to fight and our overall dedication to representing each other and our university to our absolute best. I'm incredibly proud of how our team performed this weekend, and we'll make sure to continue to carry this momentum into our next match this Thursday."
Tennessee responded in a strong way in singles, with Riley getting things started with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Whalen on Court 3. Johanna Silva quickly followed with a victory of her own, edging Jelly Bozovic, 6-1, 7-6 (4), to give UT the lead.
"Before our matches, Alison told us to fight for every point because our opponents are going to come out and compete at every court," said Silva after the match. "We went on the court, executed our shots, and fought for every point with great energy. The win over Indiana was huge and has definitely made us stronger as a team."
Gabby Schuck improved to 7-0 in dual-match play and extended the Lady Vols' lead to 3-1 after downing Xiwei Cai, 6-2, 7-5. After Indiana claimed Court 2, freshman Kaitlin Staines had her second match-clinching victory of the weekend, coming from behind to defeat Michelle McKamey, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, and sealing Tennessee's ninth win of the season.
"When I'm playing for the team, it changes my mindset completely, and I make sure that I am fighting for every point," said Staines. "Seeing the girls' smiles and the amount of energy after I won that final point was priceless. Nothing beats it."
UT heads to NC State for a matchup with the Wolfpack on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 1 p.m. ET. It will be the only match for the Lady Vols on the weekend.
"I'm looking forward to getting outside for practice this week, so we can prepare for a tough NC State team on Thursday," said Ojeda.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee women's tennis program, follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter.
Tennessee 4, Indiana 3
Singles
1. Madison Appel (IU) def. Sadie Hammond (UT), 7-5, 3-6, 7-5
2. Caitlin Bernard (IU) def. Elizabeth Profit (UT), 6-3, 7-6 (5)
3. Ariadna Riley (UT) def. Natalie Whalen (IU), 6-1, 6-4
4. Gabby Schuck (UT) def. Xiwei Cai (IU), 6-2, 7-5
5. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Jelly Bozovic (IU), 6-1, 7-6 (4)
6. Kaitlin Staines (UT) def. Michelle McKamey (IU), 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Doubles
1. Zavarotnaya/Whalen (IU) def. Hammond/Schuck (UT), 6-4
2. Riley/Staines (UT) def. Appel/McKamey (IU), 6-2
3. Bernard/Bozovic (IU) def. Profit/McGriffin (UT), 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1); Singles (3, 5, 4, 2, 6, 1)
Despite dropping the doubles point, the Lady Vols (9-0) handed the Hoosiers their first loss of the season with strong singles play. UT's nine consecutive wins to open the season is the team's longest winning streak since 2001, when the Lady Vols won 11 in a row.
"I'm really proud of the way our girls competed this whole weekend," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "Today, we competed against a tough Indiana team who pushed us until the very last point. They were better than us in doubles today and put us in what could have been an uncomfortable situation going into singles.
"Luckily, we have some experience losing the doubles point and still winning four singles matches, so we pulled from that knowledge to help us relax and do what we do well: compete. From start to finish in singles, we ran down balls and played with energy. Tactically, we played well with consistency and depth. Everyone on our team is playing well and focused on what it takes to be a championship-caliber team."
In doubles, UT split the first two courts to finish with a win by Arianda Riley and Kaitlin Staines over Madison Appel and Natalie Whalen, 6-2, on Court 2. Despite keeping it close, Indiana was able to pull away on the first court to gain the early advantage.
"Pulling off three wins this weekend was huge for our team," said Riley. "In our first two matches, we executed flawlessly what we've been working on in practice, and as a whole, played incredibly focused with the right level of high energy to help us take care of business. Playing against Indiana today simply came down to our ability to fight and our overall dedication to representing each other and our university to our absolute best. I'm incredibly proud of how our team performed this weekend, and we'll make sure to continue to carry this momentum into our next match this Thursday."
Tennessee responded in a strong way in singles, with Riley getting things started with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Whalen on Court 3. Johanna Silva quickly followed with a victory of her own, edging Jelly Bozovic, 6-1, 7-6 (4), to give UT the lead.
"Before our matches, Alison told us to fight for every point because our opponents are going to come out and compete at every court," said Silva after the match. "We went on the court, executed our shots, and fought for every point with great energy. The win over Indiana was huge and has definitely made us stronger as a team."
Gabby Schuck improved to 7-0 in dual-match play and extended the Lady Vols' lead to 3-1 after downing Xiwei Cai, 6-2, 7-5. After Indiana claimed Court 2, freshman Kaitlin Staines had her second match-clinching victory of the weekend, coming from behind to defeat Michelle McKamey, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, and sealing Tennessee's ninth win of the season.
"When I'm playing for the team, it changes my mindset completely, and I make sure that I am fighting for every point," said Staines. "Seeing the girls' smiles and the amount of energy after I won that final point was priceless. Nothing beats it."
UT heads to NC State for a matchup with the Wolfpack on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 1 p.m. ET. It will be the only match for the Lady Vols on the weekend.
"I'm looking forward to getting outside for practice this week, so we can prepare for a tough NC State team on Thursday," said Ojeda.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee women's tennis program, follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter.
Tennessee 4, Indiana 3
Singles
1. Madison Appel (IU) def. Sadie Hammond (UT), 7-5, 3-6, 7-5
2. Caitlin Bernard (IU) def. Elizabeth Profit (UT), 6-3, 7-6 (5)
3. Ariadna Riley (UT) def. Natalie Whalen (IU), 6-1, 6-4
4. Gabby Schuck (UT) def. Xiwei Cai (IU), 6-2, 7-5
5. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Jelly Bozovic (IU), 6-1, 7-6 (4)
6. Kaitlin Staines (UT) def. Michelle McKamey (IU), 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Doubles
1. Zavarotnaya/Whalen (IU) def. Hammond/Schuck (UT), 6-4
2. Riley/Staines (UT) def. Appel/McKamey (IU), 6-2
3. Bernard/Bozovic (IU) def. Profit/McGriffin (UT), 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1); Singles (3, 5, 4, 2, 6, 1)
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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