University of Tennessee Athletics
CASTELLVI NAMED LADY VOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
January 21, 2003 | Women's Tennis
Jan. 21, 2003
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
In a unanimous vote by the University of Tennessee Lady Vol media relations staff, senior tennis standout Vilmarie Castellvi was named Lady Vol Athlete of the Week on Tuesday. Other nominees included basketball's Gwen Jackson, swimming and diving's Lauryn McCalley and track and field's Sharon Dickie.
The Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, native earned the distinction by rolling over the competition at the Collegiate Tennis Kickoff last weekend in Las Vegas, Nev. Castellvi finished with a 4-0 record en route to the title, never dropping a set along the way and surrendering only 16 games to the opposition. She also defeated two top-25 players in the draw. The senior also teamed with freshman Melissa Schaub for the doubles crown, as the pair finished 3-0.
Castellvi, ranked No. 4 nationally, kicked off the tourney with a 6-0, 6-1 win over 85th-ranked Paulina Janus of UNLV. In the next two rounds, she disposed of No. 38 Marlene Mejia of North Carolina, 6-3, 6-2, and then avenged her loss to Stanford's Alice Barnes last fall with a 6-2, 6-1, triumph. Barnes came into the match ranked No. 13. Castellvi then dispatched another member of the Cardinal squad, 17th-ranked Amber Liu, 6-4, 6-3, in the final.
In the first round of doubles competition, Castellvi and Schaub, ranked No. 22 in the country, upended Janus and Agnieszka Abram of UNLV, 9-7. In the semis, the duo wasted no time in sending Georgia's Agata Cioroch and Tina Hojnik home with a loss, 8-3. Florida's Jennifer Magley and Zerene Reyes were the tandem's final victim, 8-5.
Castellvi and the rest of the Lady Vols open dual match competition in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. CT when they face No. 62 Middle Tennessee State. The Lady Volunteers' first home contest is set for Jan. 26 when 37th-ranked Michigan visits Knoxville for a 1 p.m. showdown at UT Varsity Courts and Goodfriend Tennis Center.
