University of Tennessee Athletics
SIXTH-RANKED LADY VOL GOLF RETURNS TO ACTION AT LADY TAR HEEL INVITE
October 06, 2005 | Women's Golf
Oct. 6, 2005
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KNOXVILLE, Tenn.- The sixth-ranked Lady Volunteer golf team returns to action this weekend as it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., to compete in the Lady Tar Heel Invite from Friday through Sunday. The Big Orange will challenge a strong field of teams for the tournament title, which includes No. 1 Duke.
"It's been a long break between tournaments, but we've been able to get some good work done to prepare us for the strong field we'll face at North Carolina," Lady Vol Head Coach Judi Pavon said. "This will be another good opportunity to see some top teams and judge our games at this point in the year."
Other notable squads which will vie for the crown include No.12 Texas A&M, No. 13 Auburn, No. 14 Ohio State, No. 15 Vanderbilt and No. 20 Virginia. Historically, the Lady Vols are an impressive 411-292-8 against the field and 8-0 this year.
Several of the top players in the country will hit the par-72 6,285 yard Finley Golf Course in search of medalist honors, including top-ranked Amanda Blumenherst of Duke, No. 6 Ashley Knoll (Ohio State), No. 15 Jacqui Concolina (Vanderbilt) and No. 17 Jennifer Cassidy (Ohio State).
Leading the charge for the Orange and White will be sophomore Marci Turner (Tompkinsville, Ky.), who qualified first and is currently ranked seventh in the country. Turner had a tremendous beginning to her season, as she won the Cougar Classic with a score of 212. That sum equaled the fourth-best individual total in UT annals.
Violeta Retamoza (Aguascalientes, Mexico) will play in the second slot. The 2005 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year registered a solid sixth-place-tying finish at the opening tournament of the year on the strength of firing a two-day sum of 218. It was Retamoza's 16th career top-10 showing, which trails only Young-A Yang's mark of 26.
Freshman Nicole Smith (Riverside, Calif.), is third in the Lady Vol top five, and she will look to build off her early success. After earning a spot in the lineup at the Cougar Classic, Smith responded by carding a tournament total of 219 to snare a tie for ninth place. Her score matched the ninth-best effort by an orange-clad freshmen in UT history.
Golda Johansson (Lund, Sweden) is ready to play following the three-week layoff. The senior commenced the campaign in fine fashion by notching a 15th-place-tie at the Cougar Classic with a sum of 221, which is her fourth lowest in her time at Rocky Top.
Rounding out the UT lineup is junior Holly Cantwell (Morristown, Tenn.), who will make her first appearance as a member of the Lady Vol top five since the 2004 Landfall Tradition by competing at the Lady Tar Heel. Last time out with the top five, Cantwell recorded a 44th-place tie with a sum of 234.
Sophomore Jennifer Davis (Seymour, Tenn.) will also hit the course this weekend. She will play as an individual.
Action will be underway at 9:30 a.m. all three days. Live results can be found at www.golfstat.com.
