University of Tennessee Athletics
Sunday, February 10
Knoxville, Tenn.
11:00 AM
University of Tennessee
3
vs
4
Old Dominion
Photo by: Maury Neipris/Tennessee Athletics
No. 24 Lady Vols Split Doubleheader
February 10, 2019 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 24th-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team split a doubleheader against Old Dominion and Presbyterian Sunday at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
In the day's first match, the Lady Vols (4-2) dropped a close match to Old Dominion, 4-3. Tennessee then beat Presbyterian, 4-0, to close out the day.
"We played Old Dominion last year and I think that they compete really well," Tennessee head coach Alison Ojeda said. "I think we saw a team in singles that came out and competed in every single spot and we weren't surprised by that. The thing that's good about that is it allows our team to figure out what we can work on. If we do those things, we can still be really good this season.
"Presbyterian came out on fire. I thought they played lights out. And if you're going to withstand that, you have to be pretty mentally tough and our team did a great job sticking with it."
UT won the doubles point against both Old Dominion (7-1) and Presbyterian (6-2), as the 17th-ranked duo of Sadie Hammond and Kaitlin Staines improved on their undefeated record with a 6-2 victory over Old Dominion's Holly Hutchinson and Brooke Pilkington.
Hammond and Staines are 8-0 as partners during the spring season and 11-0 dating back to the fall. Their No. 17 ITA ranking is the highest by a Tennessee doubles team since Caitlyn Williams and Joanna Henderson were ranked No. 16 in the 2014-15 preseason poll.
Tenika McGiffin and Maia Haumuller also tallied wins as a duo for the Lady Vols, notching a 6-3 win over Yulia Starodubtseva and Oleksanda Andrieieva from Old Dominion and a 6-4 win over Tracy Johnson and Samantha Calais from Presbyterian.
Against Presbyterian, Johanna Silva and Rebeka Mertena made quick work of Beth Taylor and Katie Thompson in doubles, 6-1.
Tennessee also got victories from Silva and Mertena in singles against Old Dominion. On Court 4, Silva defeated Starodubtseva from a break down in the third set, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Mertena defeated Pilkington on Court 5, 7-6, 6-2.
In singles play against Presbyterian, Hammond clinched the match for the Lady Vols. After winning the first set 6-1, the senior recovered from a 5-1 deficit in the second set to defeat Sydney Patton, 6-1, 7-5.
Staines and Silva also notched wins for the Lady Vols against Presbyterian by scores of 6-0, 6-3 and 6-0, 6-1, respectively.
UP NEXT: Tennessee hosts Indiana for a midday match on Friday at 11:30 a.m. Then, on Sunday, the Lady Vols complete the weekend against South Florida at 12 p.m.
QUOTES
Sadie Hammond
On coming back to win the second set of her singles match against Presbyterian:
"When I went out today for the second match, my goal was just to work on my forehand some more. I got the first set under my belt and then in the second set, I got down. But Euan McIntosh said something to me and it just clicked. I got one game, then another game, and then just kept rolling with it and got her out of her rhythm. I just told myself that I wasn't going to lose the second set."
Johanna Silva
On winning 15 of her last 17 singles matches:
"For me, it was very important to change my view on my expectations. I tell myself every match that it's going to be tough. It doesn't matter who I'm playing against, it's always going to be a tough fight. I think that changed my game a lot and my focus. I think that was missing in my last two matches where my expectations were too high. So my goal today was to just go on the court, do my work and then get off the court."
RESULTS
Old Dominion 4, No. 24 Tennessee 3
Singles
1. Holly Hutchinson (ODU) def. Sadie Hammond (UT), 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
2. Nataliia Vlasova (ODU) def. Kaitlin Staines (UT), 7-6, 6-1
3. Oleksanda Andrieieva (ODU) def. Ariadna Riley (UT), 2-6, 7-5, 6-1
4. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Yulia Starodubtseva (ODU), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. Brooke Pilkington (ODU), 7-6, 6-2
6. Alesya Yakubovich (ODU) def. Maia Haumuller (UT), 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
1. No. 17 Hammond/Staines (UT) def. Hutchinson/Pilkington (ODU), 6-2
2. McGiffin/Haumuller (UT) def. Starodubtseva/Andrieieva (ODU), 6-3
3. Riley/Mertena (UT) vs. Vlasova/Malenko (ODU), 5-4, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 2); Singles (6, 2, 5, 4, 1, 3)
No. 24 Tennessee 4, Presbyterian 0
Singles
1. Sadie Hammond (UT) def. Sydney Patton (PC), 6-1, 7-5
2. Kaitlin Staines (UT) def. Tracy Johnson (PC), 6-0, 6-3
3. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Samantha Calais (PC), 6-0, 6-1
4. Rebeka Mertena (UT) vs. Beth Taylor (PC), 6-1, 3-5, unfinished
5. Jessica Leeman (PC) vs. Maia Haumuller (UT), 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
6. Tenika McGiffin (UT) vs. Katie Thompson (PC), 6-1, 4-4, unfinished
Doubles
1. No. 17 Hammond/Staines (UT) vs. Patton/Leeman (PC), 5-3, unfinished
2. McGiffin/Haumuller (UT) def. Johnson/Calais (PC), 6-4
3. Silva/Mertena (UT) def. Taylor/Thompson (PC), 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 2); Singles (3, 2, 1)
In the day's first match, the Lady Vols (4-2) dropped a close match to Old Dominion, 4-3. Tennessee then beat Presbyterian, 4-0, to close out the day.
"We played Old Dominion last year and I think that they compete really well," Tennessee head coach Alison Ojeda said. "I think we saw a team in singles that came out and competed in every single spot and we weren't surprised by that. The thing that's good about that is it allows our team to figure out what we can work on. If we do those things, we can still be really good this season.
"Presbyterian came out on fire. I thought they played lights out. And if you're going to withstand that, you have to be pretty mentally tough and our team did a great job sticking with it."
UT won the doubles point against both Old Dominion (7-1) and Presbyterian (6-2), as the 17th-ranked duo of Sadie Hammond and Kaitlin Staines improved on their undefeated record with a 6-2 victory over Old Dominion's Holly Hutchinson and Brooke Pilkington.
Hammond and Staines are 8-0 as partners during the spring season and 11-0 dating back to the fall. Their No. 17 ITA ranking is the highest by a Tennessee doubles team since Caitlyn Williams and Joanna Henderson were ranked No. 16 in the 2014-15 preseason poll.
Tenika McGiffin and Maia Haumuller also tallied wins as a duo for the Lady Vols, notching a 6-3 win over Yulia Starodubtseva and Oleksanda Andrieieva from Old Dominion and a 6-4 win over Tracy Johnson and Samantha Calais from Presbyterian.
Against Presbyterian, Johanna Silva and Rebeka Mertena made quick work of Beth Taylor and Katie Thompson in doubles, 6-1.
Tennessee also got victories from Silva and Mertena in singles against Old Dominion. On Court 4, Silva defeated Starodubtseva from a break down in the third set, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Mertena defeated Pilkington on Court 5, 7-6, 6-2.
In singles play against Presbyterian, Hammond clinched the match for the Lady Vols. After winning the first set 6-1, the senior recovered from a 5-1 deficit in the second set to defeat Sydney Patton, 6-1, 7-5.
Staines and Silva also notched wins for the Lady Vols against Presbyterian by scores of 6-0, 6-3 and 6-0, 6-1, respectively.
UP NEXT: Tennessee hosts Indiana for a midday match on Friday at 11:30 a.m. Then, on Sunday, the Lady Vols complete the weekend against South Florida at 12 p.m.
QUOTES
Sadie Hammond
On coming back to win the second set of her singles match against Presbyterian:
"When I went out today for the second match, my goal was just to work on my forehand some more. I got the first set under my belt and then in the second set, I got down. But Euan McIntosh said something to me and it just clicked. I got one game, then another game, and then just kept rolling with it and got her out of her rhythm. I just told myself that I wasn't going to lose the second set."
Johanna Silva
On winning 15 of her last 17 singles matches:
"For me, it was very important to change my view on my expectations. I tell myself every match that it's going to be tough. It doesn't matter who I'm playing against, it's always going to be a tough fight. I think that changed my game a lot and my focus. I think that was missing in my last two matches where my expectations were too high. So my goal today was to just go on the court, do my work and then get off the court."
RESULTS
Old Dominion 4, No. 24 Tennessee 3
Singles
1. Holly Hutchinson (ODU) def. Sadie Hammond (UT), 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
2. Nataliia Vlasova (ODU) def. Kaitlin Staines (UT), 7-6, 6-1
3. Oleksanda Andrieieva (ODU) def. Ariadna Riley (UT), 2-6, 7-5, 6-1
4. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Yulia Starodubtseva (ODU), 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. Brooke Pilkington (ODU), 7-6, 6-2
6. Alesya Yakubovich (ODU) def. Maia Haumuller (UT), 6-3, 6-3
Doubles
1. No. 17 Hammond/Staines (UT) def. Hutchinson/Pilkington (ODU), 6-2
2. McGiffin/Haumuller (UT) def. Starodubtseva/Andrieieva (ODU), 6-3
3. Riley/Mertena (UT) vs. Vlasova/Malenko (ODU), 5-4, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 2); Singles (6, 2, 5, 4, 1, 3)
No. 24 Tennessee 4, Presbyterian 0
Singles
1. Sadie Hammond (UT) def. Sydney Patton (PC), 6-1, 7-5
2. Kaitlin Staines (UT) def. Tracy Johnson (PC), 6-0, 6-3
3. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Samantha Calais (PC), 6-0, 6-1
4. Rebeka Mertena (UT) vs. Beth Taylor (PC), 6-1, 3-5, unfinished
5. Jessica Leeman (PC) vs. Maia Haumuller (UT), 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
6. Tenika McGiffin (UT) vs. Katie Thompson (PC), 6-1, 4-4, unfinished
Doubles
1. No. 17 Hammond/Staines (UT) vs. Patton/Leeman (PC), 5-3, unfinished
2. McGiffin/Haumuller (UT) def. Johnson/Calais (PC), 6-4
3. Silva/Mertena (UT) def. Taylor/Thompson (PC), 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 2); Singles (3, 2, 1)
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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