#18 Lady Vols Take 4-1 Match vs. Florida Gulf Coast

Sunday, February 25

Fort Myers, Fla.

10:00 AM

University of Tennessee

Florida Gulf Coast

February 25, 2018 | Women's Tennis

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The 18th-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team capped off its weekend with a 4-1 win against Florida Gulf Coast at the FGCU Tennis Complex on Sunday.

The Lady Vols are now 12-0 on the season and boast the second-longest winning streak in program history, passing UT's streak of 11 in 2001 when Alison Ojeda was a junior. Tennessee's all time record is 14 straight victories in 1980.

"People forget that winning is tough," said Ojeda. "In order to beat good opponents, you have to be in shape, you have to practice in a way that allows you to continue to develop, you have to be willing to go through the agony of pain, and most importantly, you have to be mentally tough enough to want to battle through the discomfort that you are putting you're mind and body through. The best thing I can tell you to summarize this weekend is that our team wants to do what it takes daily to win. It's obvious, and I'm proud of who we are.

"We had our top player out of the lineup because of illness, and she was willing to play for her team. Luckily, one of her teammates told her, 'Go rest, we got you.' We had another great player who was sick, and she was able to fight through to help the team out in doubles. Those little things matter. This is a long journey, but when you get to ride it with teammates who love each other, it makes the ride incredible!"

After dropping the first match in doubles, UT rallied on the next two courts to secure the early 1-0 lead. In singles, FGCU tied things up with a win on Court 1, but the Lady Vols won the next three courts to finish to clinch the match.

Down 1-4 on Court 2, the 56th-ranked duo of Ariadna Riley and Kaitlin Staines fought back to win five consecutive games and defeat Bridget Forster and Madison Gallegos, 6-4. The team of Gabby Schuck and Johanna Silva outlasted Julia Ascúa and Maja Ornberg in a 7-5 match on Court 1 to clinch the doubles point.

Ornberg took a 6-0, 6-0 match at the top spot of the lineup in singles to tie things up at 1-1, but Silva picked up her second win of the weekend to retake the lead for Tennessee, downing Gallegos in a 7-5, 6-1 match.

Schuck continued her impressive spring play with a 6-4, 6-0 win against Laura Falceto Font, improving her record to 10-0 during dual-match play. Freshman Tenika McGiffin finished things off with in a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 (4) win versus Patricia Villar to clinch the victory.

"Every single player on our team puts in the work that it takes to be prepared to compete," said Ojeda. "Today, two of our freshman had to step up and compete in the singles lineup, and they were ready. We had a sophomore get called into the doubles line up at the last second, and she was fantastic. I'm so excited they all were able to grow from today's match."

Next weekend, Tennessee begins SEC play with a weekend series on the road against Texas A&M (March 2) and LSU (March 4). For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee women's tennis program, follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter.

#18 Tennessee 4, Florida Gulf Coast 1
Singles
1. Maja Ornberg (FGCU) def. Elizabeth Profit (UT), 6-0, 6-0
2. Ariadna Riley (UT) vs. Julia Ascúa (FGCU), 4-6, 6-4, 1-4 unf.
3. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Madison Gallegos (FGCU), 7-5, 6-1
4. Gabby Schuck (UT) def. Laura Falceto Font (FGCU), 6-4, 6-0
5. Chelsea Sawyer (UT) vs. Bridget Forster (FGCU), 7-6, 4-6, 5-5 unf.
6. Tenika McGiffin (UT) def. Patricia Villar (FGCU), 6-4, 7-6 (4)

Doubles
1. Schuck/Silva (UT) def. Ascúa/Ornberg (FGCU), 7-5
2. Riley/Staines (UT) def. Forster/Gallegos (FGCU), 6-4
3. Falceto Font/Curtis (FGCU) def. McGiffin/Profit (UT), 6-3

Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1); Singles (1, 3, 4, 6)