University of Tennessee Athletics
Sunday, October 20
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
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ITA Ohio Valley Regionals
Mertena, Staines to Compete in ITA Ohio Valley Regional Final
October 20, 2019 | Women's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Sophomore Rebeka Mertena and junior Kaitlin Staines will represent the University of Tennessee in the ITA Ohio Valley Regional singles final.
"I am so proud of our team's performance," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "We have been focused on the day to day task at hand for the last years and our players are reaping the benefits of their hard work and dedication to excellence."
Mertena and Staines navigated through a bracket of 128 athletes representing the 23 schools in the ITA Ohio Valley Region. Notable teams include fellow SEC institutions Kentucky and Vanderbilt as well as Indiana, Purdue, and Xavier who all concluded the 2019 season ranked in the top-75.
"What I'm most excited about is how happy our girls are," Ojeda said. "They genuinely want to see each other succeed and they can feel the love and support they share for each other."
Mertena, a Liepaja, Latvia product, defeated Kentucky's Akvile Parazinskaite in two sets (6-1, 6-1). The sophomore has been dominant in Murfreesboro, winning each of her matches in two sets and holding her opponent to four or fewer games in each set.
Staines, a junior from Wagga Wagga, Australia, got the win over Miami of Ohio's Brindtha Ramasamy in three sets (6-4, 4-6, 7-5). In the third set, Staines fought back from a 3-5 deficit, scoring four unanswered games to punch her ticket to the final.
The pair will face each other in Monday's final at 10 a.m. ET. With the advancement to the final, Mertena and Staines auto-qualify in the singles draw of the ITA Fall National Championships in Newport Beach, Calif. beginning on Nov. 8. The doubles pair of Staines and Tenika McGiffin also qualified with a second-place finish at the ITA All-American Championships.
Sunday's Results
Main Draw
Rebeka Mertena def. Akvile Parazinskaite (UK) 6-1, 6-1
Kaitlin Staines def. Brindtha Ramasamy (Miami-OH) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Monday's Schedule
10 a.m. – Rebeka Mertena vs. Kaitlin Staines
"I am so proud of our team's performance," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "We have been focused on the day to day task at hand for the last years and our players are reaping the benefits of their hard work and dedication to excellence."
Mertena and Staines navigated through a bracket of 128 athletes representing the 23 schools in the ITA Ohio Valley Region. Notable teams include fellow SEC institutions Kentucky and Vanderbilt as well as Indiana, Purdue, and Xavier who all concluded the 2019 season ranked in the top-75.
"What I'm most excited about is how happy our girls are," Ojeda said. "They genuinely want to see each other succeed and they can feel the love and support they share for each other."
Mertena, a Liepaja, Latvia product, defeated Kentucky's Akvile Parazinskaite in two sets (6-1, 6-1). The sophomore has been dominant in Murfreesboro, winning each of her matches in two sets and holding her opponent to four or fewer games in each set.
Staines, a junior from Wagga Wagga, Australia, got the win over Miami of Ohio's Brindtha Ramasamy in three sets (6-4, 4-6, 7-5). In the third set, Staines fought back from a 3-5 deficit, scoring four unanswered games to punch her ticket to the final.
The pair will face each other in Monday's final at 10 a.m. ET. With the advancement to the final, Mertena and Staines auto-qualify in the singles draw of the ITA Fall National Championships in Newport Beach, Calif. beginning on Nov. 8. The doubles pair of Staines and Tenika McGiffin also qualified with a second-place finish at the ITA All-American Championships.
Sunday's Results
Main Draw
Rebeka Mertena def. Akvile Parazinskaite (UK) 6-1, 6-1
Kaitlin Staines def. Brindtha Ramasamy (Miami-OH) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Monday's Schedule
10 a.m. – Rebeka Mertena vs. Kaitlin Staines
Players Mentioned
Everything Orange S2 I Catherine Aulia (Women's Tennis)
Thursday, March 20
WTN | Alison Ojeda and Sofia Cabezas Postgame vs. UCLA (5.18.24)
Saturday, May 18
WTN | Alison Ojeda and Lauren Anzalotta Media Availability (5.15.24)
Wednesday, May 15
Everything Orange | Alison Ojeda (Women's Tennis)
Thursday, January 18
