University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Purdue
No. 24 Lady Vol Tennis Downs Purdue, 6-1
January 25, 2009 | Women's Tennis
Jan. 25, 2009
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For the second day in a row, the No. 24 University of Tennessee women's tennis team (2-0) used a solid doubles effort to propel itself past a Big Ten foe, as it cruised past Purdue (1-2), 6-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Schwartz Tennis Center in West Lafayette, Ind. The Lady Volunteers remained perfect in doubles play during the dual-match portion of their schedule, sweeping all three contests before winning five of their six singles matches.
Much like its showdown with No. 37 Illinois on Saturday, the Big Orange proved to be dominant in doubles action, led by the duo of juniors Caitlin Whoriskey and Zsófia Zubor which opened the day with an 8-2 triumph over the Purdue pairing of Michelle Sammons and Stephanie Wooten.
Just moments later, senior Samantha Orlin and sophomore Maria Sorbello joined forces to pick up an 8-5 decision over Anna Dushkina and Tatiana Ganzha to give UT the all-important doubles point and first lead of the match. Sophomore Jennifer Meredith and freshman Natalie Pluskota then finished off the sweep by taking out Remi Martin and Jennifer Rabot, 8-5, as well. The two teams were tied at 5-5 before the Tennessee tandem closed out the match with three consecutive points to improve to 10-1 on the season.
Meredith kept the momentum going for Tennessee in singles, making quick work of Martin with a 6-0, 6-0, blanking on the fourth court. Sorbello then made it 3-0 in favor of the Lady Vols, easily dispatching Kay Kay Magi, 6-1, 6-1, at the final singles position. The Boilermakers finally got on the scoreboard when Rabot was able to move past the 77th-ranked Orlin in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, on court three for Purdue's lone win on the afternoon.
For the second time in as many matches, it was Pluskota that clinched the win for the Big Orange, downing Sammons, 6-2, 6-3, at the second position in the lineup. The victory moved her season record to 11-7, tying her with Meredith and Whoriskey, who defeated Ganzha, 6-2, 7-6, on center court, for the team lead in wins. Zubor accounted for the Orange and White's other point, as she took out Dushkina, 6-2, 6-3, at the fifth spot.
The Lady Vols will remain on the road next weekend when they travel to Miami, Fla., to take part in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Kickoff Weekend. If Tennessee can advance past No. 41 Virginia on Sat., Jan. 31, it would play the winner between No. 13 Miami and No. 40 Utah the next afternoon for the right to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis., Feb. 12-15.
| SINGLES | ||||
| 1. | No. 92 Caitlin Whoriskey (Tennessee) | def. | Tatiana Ganzha (Purdue) | 6-2, 7-6 |
| 2. | Natalie Pluskota (Tennessee) | def. | Michelle Sammons (Purdue) | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 3. | Jennifer Rabot (Purdue) | def. | No. 77 Samantha Orlin (Tennessee) | 6-4, 6-1 |
| 4. | Jennifer Meredith (Tennessee) | def. | Remi Martin (Purdue) | 6-0, 6-0 |
| 5. | Zsófia Zubor (Tennessee) | def. | Anna Dushkina (Purdue) | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 6. | Maria Sorbello (Tennessee) | def. | Kay Kay Magi (Purdue) | 6-1, 6-1 |
| DOUBLES | ||||
| 1. | Caitlin Whoriskey/Zsófia Zubor (Tennessee) | def. | Michelle Sammons/Stephanie Wooten (Purdue) | 8-2 |
| 2. | Jennifer Meredith/Natalie Pluskota (Tennessee) | def. | Remi Martin/Jennifer Rabot (Purdue) | 8-5 |
| 3. | Samantha Orlin/Maria Sorbello (Tennessee) | def. | Anna Dushkina/Tatiana Ganzha (Purdue) | 8-5 |
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,6,3,2*,5,1)
Players Mentioned
