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Debbie Southern Fall Classic
McGiffin Wins Flight Title at Fall Classic
September 24, 2017 | Women's Tennis
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Freshman Tenika McGiffin ended her first tournament on a high note, winning the Flight 8 singles title in the Debbie Southern Fall Classic at Furman's Mickel Tennis Center.
McGiffin defeated Vanderbilt's Lauren Gish, 7-6, 6-2, to cap off a 3-0 start to her collegiate career. She's the first UT player to win a flight since fellow teammate Sadie Hammond did it as a freshman.
"We all showed great grit and determination this weekend at Furman," McGiiffin said. "We competed hard and focused on the things we have been working on in training. It is great to see the hard work paying off, which means we are more excited to get back on the training court. This tournament was a great starting block for us, and we are all really excited to keep improving and encouraging each other."
Redshirt sophomore Gabby Schuck also competed in the final of her flight, but she came up short against Dani Wagland of Texas, 7-5, 6-3, to take second in Flight 6.
"We had both Gabby and Tenika in the finals of their flights and both of them are competing at a high level," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "They are implementing their daily practices into match play, and that's the goal of every player and coach."
"This weekend we learned so much about our team," Schuck said. "Our freshmen really stepped up and showed us all how big of a role they are going to play this year. It was awesome seeing everyone out there competing again. The energy from everyone was contagious, and I can't wait to keep building off of it. As a team, we are doing a lot of things really well, and it's exciting to see how much room for improvement there is."
Sophomore Johanna Silva downed Mississippi State's Sara Lizaturry, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, to finish third in her flight. Freshman Chelsea Sawyer won her second match of the weekend, beating Brooke Stevens from Ole Miss, 6-1, 6-3.
"Chelsea has shown our program that she is willing to fight thru anything," said Ojeda. "Her will to succeed is going to be incredibly instrumental in her future. Jo has put together some solid matches and focused tennis. She's on the right track and is another player to watch."
The Lady Vols return to the courts in a couple of weeks for the ITA Ohio Valley Regionals, which runs Oct. 12-16 at MTSU's Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee women's tennis program, follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter.
Debbie Southern Fall Classic
Singles
Tenika McGiffin (UT) def. Lauren Gish (VU), 7-6, 6-2
Johanna Silva (UT) def. Sara Lizaturry (MSU), 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
Chelsea Sawyer (UT) def. Brooke Stevens (Ole Miss), 6-1, 6-3
Dani Wagland (Texas) def. Gabby Schuck (UT), 7-5, 6-3
Shiori Fokuda (OSU) def. Sadie Hammond (UT), 6-0, 6-3
McGiffin defeated Vanderbilt's Lauren Gish, 7-6, 6-2, to cap off a 3-0 start to her collegiate career. She's the first UT player to win a flight since fellow teammate Sadie Hammond did it as a freshman.
"We all showed great grit and determination this weekend at Furman," McGiiffin said. "We competed hard and focused on the things we have been working on in training. It is great to see the hard work paying off, which means we are more excited to get back on the training court. This tournament was a great starting block for us, and we are all really excited to keep improving and encouraging each other."
Redshirt sophomore Gabby Schuck also competed in the final of her flight, but she came up short against Dani Wagland of Texas, 7-5, 6-3, to take second in Flight 6.
"We had both Gabby and Tenika in the finals of their flights and both of them are competing at a high level," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "They are implementing their daily practices into match play, and that's the goal of every player and coach."
"This weekend we learned so much about our team," Schuck said. "Our freshmen really stepped up and showed us all how big of a role they are going to play this year. It was awesome seeing everyone out there competing again. The energy from everyone was contagious, and I can't wait to keep building off of it. As a team, we are doing a lot of things really well, and it's exciting to see how much room for improvement there is."
Sophomore Johanna Silva downed Mississippi State's Sara Lizaturry, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, to finish third in her flight. Freshman Chelsea Sawyer won her second match of the weekend, beating Brooke Stevens from Ole Miss, 6-1, 6-3.
"Chelsea has shown our program that she is willing to fight thru anything," said Ojeda. "Her will to succeed is going to be incredibly instrumental in her future. Jo has put together some solid matches and focused tennis. She's on the right track and is another player to watch."
The Lady Vols return to the courts in a couple of weeks for the ITA Ohio Valley Regionals, which runs Oct. 12-16 at MTSU's Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee women's tennis program, follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter.
Debbie Southern Fall Classic
Singles
Tenika McGiffin (UT) def. Lauren Gish (VU), 7-6, 6-2
Johanna Silva (UT) def. Sara Lizaturry (MSU), 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
Chelsea Sawyer (UT) def. Brooke Stevens (Ole Miss), 6-1, 6-3
Dani Wagland (Texas) def. Gabby Schuck (UT), 7-5, 6-3
Shiori Fokuda (OSU) def. Sadie Hammond (UT), 6-0, 6-3
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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