WTEN CENTRAL: Cincinnati/UT Chattanooga

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 26/19 Tennessee women's tennis team will host Cincinnati and UT Chattanooga for a doubleheader inside the Goodfriend Tennis Center on Friday.

The Lady Vols (7-1) begin the day against Cincinnati (6-3) at 9:30 a.m. ET and first serve with UT Chattanooga (5-2) is slated for 12:30 p.m. ET.

"Jarryd (Chaplin) and I are looking forward to coaching our team this Friday," said head coach Alison Ojeda. "We want to solidify our doubles lineup going into SEC play and competing against two teams that we know will fight hard, helps us do that."

Coverage: Fans can follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter for live updates. A complete recap of the matches will be posted to UTSports.com following the doubleheader.

Last Time Out: Tennessee swept their Valentine's Day doubleheader with UT-Martin and Marquette. The Lady Vols took the doubles point in both matches, defeating UTM 4-0 and Marquette 5-2.

Inside the Series: Friday morning marks the first meeting between the Bearcats and the Lady Vols on the tennis court.

Against UTC, the Lady Vols hold a 9-3 advantage all-time. The Lady Vols are a perfect 5-0 in the last five meetings, blanking the Mocs four times.

Starting Fast: The Lady Vols have taken the doubles point in all eight of their dual matches in 2020, holding a combined doubles record of 19-3.

Ranked: The Lady Vols roster features four individuals and one doubles pairing in the latest ITA Rankings, the association released Tuesday evening.

The doubles pair of Kaitlin Staines and Tenika McGiffin highlight the group, ranked eighth in the country. The duo is 3-0 on the season in dual-match play.

Sophomore Rebeka Mertena holds the top singles ranking for the Big Orange, placing 40th. She is currently undefeated in dual-match play and holds a 19-10 record on the year with seven wins over ranked opponents.

Senior Johanna Silva improved four spots to No. 55 on the latest ITA ranking. Silva is 7-1 in dual matches in 2020 and 14-3 overall this year.

Junior Kaitlin Staines moved to No. 73 in the ITA rankings. The junior holds a 14-12 mark with four wins over ranked opponents this year.

Freshman Carly Briggs made her debut on the singles list, checking in as the No. 100-ranked singles player in the country. The Calhoun, Ga., product holds a perfect 8-0 record in dual-match play, she is 10-1 overall in 2020.

In the Rankings
Singles
40- Rebeka Mertena
55 – Johanna Silva
73 – Kaitlin Staines
100 – Carly Briggs

Doubles
8 – Kaitlin Staines/Tenika McGiffin

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Carly Briggs

Tenika McGiffin

Rebeka Mertena

Johanna Silva

Kaitlin Staines

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