University of Tennessee Athletics

Photo by: Austin Perryman/Tennessee Athlet
Lady Vols Register Second Top 25 Win, Defeat No. 21 Texas A&M, 4-2
March 08, 2019 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 33rd-ranked Tennessee women's team captured its second top 25 win of the season, defeating No. 21 Texas A&M Friday afternoon at Goodfriend Tennis Center, 4-2.
The win marks the second time since 2012 that the Lady Vols have registered two top 25 wins in the same season. The Lady Vols handed Texas A&M (14-2, 2-1 SEC) just their second loss of the season and first conference defeat.
"I'm so excited for our team," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "We arrived at the courts today prepared to compete and we took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.
"This win means a lot to senior Sadie Hammond, who pumped up the team in the locker room, and the squad just soaked up that killer drive. I'm so proud of these girls and the way they support each other as a team."
Tennessee (11-3, 1-1) won the doubles point for the 12th time this season – this time in dramatic fashion.
At the No. 3 doubles spot Johanna Silva and Rebeka Mertena battled back from separate 5-4 and 6-5 deficits to force a tiebreaker against Riley McQuaid and Lucia Quiterio. The Lady Vol duo then blew by the Aggies during the tiebreaker for a 7-6 (0) victory.
Eighth-ranked doubles pair Sadie Hammond and Kaitlin Staines grabbed Tennessee's first doubles win at the No. 1 doubles spot, defeating the 31st-ranked team of Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova by a 6-2 margin.
In singles, all six courts featured close competition, with Tennessee winning the necessary three to capture the victory.
At the No. 3 singles spot, Silva cruised by Makarova for a 6-2, 6-3 win. The Hamburg, Germany native is 19-4 dating back to the beginning of the fall and 8-3 this season in dual matches.
Hammond recorded the Lady Vols' next singles win at the No. 1 spot, rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the second set to beat Katya Townsend, 6-2, 6-3.
Staines and Mertena both came close to completing their singles matches and clinching the win for the Lady Vols, but it was eventually Mertena that came up with a three-set victory over Renee McBryde, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is home once more this weekend, playing host to the LSU Tigers at 12 p.m. on Sunday. The match is a rematch of the Lady Vols' early season meeting with the Tigers in January at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Tallahassee Regional, which LSU won, 4-1.
QUOTES
Senior Sadie Hammond
On beating a top 25 team for the second time this season:
"This one feels even better than the last one. This whole week we focused on being mentally tough and having killer instincts, so when we get down we climb back and we go up we stay up. Getting both of those wins rewards the hard work that we've put in and makes them that much more special."
On fighting back and winning her singles match:
"I remembered something that Euan McIntosh told me last weekend against Chattanooga. He said 'it's easier to fight back now when you're down instead of doing it at the end.' So I just told myself to buckle down and really focused on each point. I didn't think about the fact that I was down 3-1, I didn't think about winning the set, I just focused on each point."
Sophomore Kaitlin Staines
On defeating another ranked doubles team:
"It was a lot of fun out there today. I thought we brought a lot of energy and the atmosphere out there was really good today. We just took it one point at a time and tried to put as much pressure on them as we could."
On beating a top 25 team for the second time this season:
"I'm super happy with this win as a team. It definitely sets the tone for LSU on Sunday. You could really see today that everyone believed in themselves, which was good."
Freshman Rebeka Mertena
On clinching the match for Tennessee win her singles win:
"I just did everything I could. When I lost the first set, I just started to play everything from the beginning. I just continued playing and went into the third set knowing that I had to win my match."
RESULTS
No. 33 Tennessee 4, No. 21 Texas A&M 2
Singles
1. #65 Sadie Hammond (UT) def. Katya Townsend (TAMU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Kaitlin Staines (UT) vs. #100 Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU), 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 2-3, unfinished
3. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Tatiana Makarova (TAMU), 6-2, 6-3
4. Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. Renee McBryde (TAMU), 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3
5. Riley McQuaid (TAMU) def. Ariadna Riley (UT), 6-4, 6-3
6. Dorthea Faa-Hviding (TAMU) def. Tenika McGiffin (UT), 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
1. #8 Hammond/Staines (UT) def. #31 Goldsmith/Makarova (TAMU), 6-2
2. McBryde/Townsend (TAMU) def. Haumuller/McGiffin (UT), 6-3
3. Mertena/Silva (UT) def. McQuaid/Quiterio (TAMU), 7-6 (0)
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 2, 3); Singles (3, 1, 5, 6, 4)
The win marks the second time since 2012 that the Lady Vols have registered two top 25 wins in the same season. The Lady Vols handed Texas A&M (14-2, 2-1 SEC) just their second loss of the season and first conference defeat.
"I'm so excited for our team," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "We arrived at the courts today prepared to compete and we took advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves.
"This win means a lot to senior Sadie Hammond, who pumped up the team in the locker room, and the squad just soaked up that killer drive. I'm so proud of these girls and the way they support each other as a team."
Tennessee (11-3, 1-1) won the doubles point for the 12th time this season – this time in dramatic fashion.
At the No. 3 doubles spot Johanna Silva and Rebeka Mertena battled back from separate 5-4 and 6-5 deficits to force a tiebreaker against Riley McQuaid and Lucia Quiterio. The Lady Vol duo then blew by the Aggies during the tiebreaker for a 7-6 (0) victory.
Eighth-ranked doubles pair Sadie Hammond and Kaitlin Staines grabbed Tennessee's first doubles win at the No. 1 doubles spot, defeating the 31st-ranked team of Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova by a 6-2 margin.
In singles, all six courts featured close competition, with Tennessee winning the necessary three to capture the victory.
At the No. 3 singles spot, Silva cruised by Makarova for a 6-2, 6-3 win. The Hamburg, Germany native is 19-4 dating back to the beginning of the fall and 8-3 this season in dual matches.
Hammond recorded the Lady Vols' next singles win at the No. 1 spot, rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the second set to beat Katya Townsend, 6-2, 6-3.
Staines and Mertena both came close to completing their singles matches and clinching the win for the Lady Vols, but it was eventually Mertena that came up with a three-set victory over Renee McBryde, 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3.
UP NEXT: Tennessee is home once more this weekend, playing host to the LSU Tigers at 12 p.m. on Sunday. The match is a rematch of the Lady Vols' early season meeting with the Tigers in January at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend Tallahassee Regional, which LSU won, 4-1.
QUOTES
Senior Sadie Hammond
On beating a top 25 team for the second time this season:
"This one feels even better than the last one. This whole week we focused on being mentally tough and having killer instincts, so when we get down we climb back and we go up we stay up. Getting both of those wins rewards the hard work that we've put in and makes them that much more special."
On fighting back and winning her singles match:
"I remembered something that Euan McIntosh told me last weekend against Chattanooga. He said 'it's easier to fight back now when you're down instead of doing it at the end.' So I just told myself to buckle down and really focused on each point. I didn't think about the fact that I was down 3-1, I didn't think about winning the set, I just focused on each point."
Sophomore Kaitlin Staines
On defeating another ranked doubles team:
"It was a lot of fun out there today. I thought we brought a lot of energy and the atmosphere out there was really good today. We just took it one point at a time and tried to put as much pressure on them as we could."
On beating a top 25 team for the second time this season:
"I'm super happy with this win as a team. It definitely sets the tone for LSU on Sunday. You could really see today that everyone believed in themselves, which was good."
Freshman Rebeka Mertena
On clinching the match for Tennessee win her singles win:
"I just did everything I could. When I lost the first set, I just started to play everything from the beginning. I just continued playing and went into the third set knowing that I had to win my match."
RESULTS
No. 33 Tennessee 4, No. 21 Texas A&M 2
Singles
1. #65 Sadie Hammond (UT) def. Katya Townsend (TAMU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Kaitlin Staines (UT) vs. #100 Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU), 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 2-3, unfinished
3. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Tatiana Makarova (TAMU), 6-2, 6-3
4. Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. Renee McBryde (TAMU), 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-3
5. Riley McQuaid (TAMU) def. Ariadna Riley (UT), 6-4, 6-3
6. Dorthea Faa-Hviding (TAMU) def. Tenika McGiffin (UT), 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
1. #8 Hammond/Staines (UT) def. #31 Goldsmith/Makarova (TAMU), 6-2
2. McBryde/Townsend (TAMU) def. Haumuller/McGiffin (UT), 6-3
3. Mertena/Silva (UT) def. McQuaid/Quiterio (TAMU), 7-6 (0)
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 2, 3); Singles (3, 1, 5, 6, 4)
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