W TENNIS CENTRAL: Ohio State

Feb. 19, 2016

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee women’s tennis team has its hands full this Saturday, as the Vols travel to Columbus, Ohio, to face the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes at Varsity Tennis Center at 12 p.m.

The Volunteers (4-3) will look to pull off the major upset in one of its final matches before beginning conference play in March. The Buckeyes (9-1) have already picked up ranked wins against No. 6 Vanderbilt (2x), No. 8 Michigan, No. 15 Pepperdine, No. 23 TCU, No. 24 Georgia Tech and No. 28 Fresno State.

Here are a couple of notes about Tennessee’s match this weekend against Ohio State:

Freshmen Impact in Singles

Freshmen have made a huge impact on Tennessee's lineups to begin the spring season, with five picking up starts in at least one match.
Sadie Hammond, who is ranked 100th in singles according to the ITA, has started every match on Court 1 for the Vols, going 5-1 thus far. She has an overall record of 17-6 on the season.
Kim Kermet has started on Court 2 in six consecutive matches, going 4-1 during the stretch. Kermet is second on the team in wins in singles, with record of 13-10 this season. She won the singles consolation draw at the Dick Vitale Clay Court Classic in the fall.

Ohio State Notes

Tennessee and Ohio State have met every year since 2010, with UT going 5-2 during the stretch. The Vols lead the all-time series 16-3 over the Buckeyes and are 5-1 when playing in Columbus.
After the Volunteers went on a 13-match winning streak during the series, Ohio State has won the last two matches, including a 7-0 shutout win over Tennessee last year in Knoxville.
The Buckeyes are enjoying a successful beginning to the spring, picking seven wins over ranked opponents. They also boast the No. 1 singles player in the country in Francesca Di Lorenzo, the highest ranking for an Ohio State ever, and the No. 8 doubles team in Anna Sanford and Miho Kowase. Sandy Niehaus recently cracked the most recent rankings, coming in at No. 118.

What Happened Last

Tennessee dropped both of their matches this weekend to ranked opponents.
On Friday, the Vols fell to No. 24 Georgia Tech, 5-2, at home in Goodfriend Tennis Center. Hammond picked up a victory on Court 1, defeating No. 56 Rasheeda McAdoo, 7-5, 6-3. It was her fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season.
On Sunday, Tennessee lost, 4-3, to No. 63 Indiana despite a late surge in singles. After going down 2-0 early, Hammond, fellow freshman Kim Kermet and junior Eve Repic all picked up wins in singles, but the Hoosiers closed out the match by winning on the last two courts, ending the Vols' comeback attempt.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Freshmen Impact in Singles

Ohio State Notes

What Happened Last

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