WOMEN'S TENNIS CENTRAL: Music City Scramble

Saturday, October 10

Nashville, TN

TBA

University of Tennessee

Music City Scramble

Photo by: Caleb Jones/Tennessee Athletics

October 08, 2020 | Women's Tennis

By: Ricky Martinez

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time since March 8, 2020, the Tennessee women's tennis team will take the court and compete, as the Lady Vols take part in the Music City Scramble, hosted by Vanderbilt. Along with the host team, UT faces Auburn and Ole Miss at the Currey Tennis Center in three days of competition beginning on Friday.

"The team's mentality going into this weekend is appreciation," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "We truly could not be more excited and thankful that the SEC is letting us play, that they have figured out ways for us to compete in a safe manner. We are incredibly appreciative, and our goal is to go out there and have fun while still getting better.

"We had five and a half months off, and we didn't get to see the girls. They are part of our lives as coaches, and each and every single one of them are like family, so being away from them for that long and to not really be able to help out was tough."

Coverage
Fans can follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter for live updates. A complete recap of the action will be posted to UTSports.com following each day of the competition.

2020 Recap
The Lady Vols finished the 2020 campaign with a 10-3 (1-2 SEC) mark, going undefeated at home in dual-match play.

UT collected an impressive five ITA Region Awards for their efforts in the spring, both on and off the court.

Tenika McGiffin received the Ohio Valley Region Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award, presented to student-athletes who have exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership, as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements. Prior to the start of the 2019 season, McGiffin traveled to Rwanda with the 2018-19 VOLeaders Academy, to serve and lead through the platform of sport. The junior logged more than 50 hours of community service during her third year in Knoxville.

On the court, McGiffin's junior season was highlighted by a runner-up doubles finish in the ITA All-American Championships to earn a bid to the ITA Fall National Championships. The Brisbane, Australia, native achieved a career-high doubles ranking of No. 8 nationally, posting a 13-9 record.

As a freshman, Carly Briggs was named the region's Rookie of the Year. The Calhoun, Georgia, product put together an electric debut season, posting a 12-3 singles record and an 11-3 doubles mark after arriving on Rocky Top in January. Briggs was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 12 and was ranked as high as No. 100 in the nation on the ITA's singles list.

Rebeka Mertena was named the ITA Ohio Valley Region Player to Watch following her efforts during the 2019-20 season. The sophomore recorded a 22-11 singles record and achieved a career-high ITA ranking of No. 38. Mertena's second season was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional in the fall and an SEC Player of the Week honor to open the spring slate.

Johanna Silva was named the region's Most Improved Senior for the 2020 season. She collected a 16-4 singles record and achieved a career-high ITA ranking of No. 55. Silva appeared on courts one and two for the first time in her career during her senior season, going 2-0 in No. 1 singles and 2-1 in No. 2 singles.

Silva returns for her NCAA-approved additional year of athletic eligibility for the 2020-21 season.

Tennessee's program was also awarded the ITA Community Service Award for the region, given to a program that gives back to its campus or its community through tennis and non-tennis pathways. Ojeda's Lady Vols logged more than 200 hours of community service during the 2019-20 academic year.

FOLLOW THE LADY VOLS
Fans can keep up with the latest Tennessee women's tennis news by following the program on its Facebook (Facebook.com/TennesseeWomensTennis), Twitter (@Vol_WTennis) and Instagram (Vol_WTennis) accounts.