Lady Vols Come From Behind to Defeat Ole Miss, 4-3

Sunday, March 8

Oxford, Miss

2 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

Ole Miss

KNOXVILLE, TN - 2020.02.14 - Tennessee vs. UT Martin

March 08, 2020 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

By: Ricky Martinez

OXFORD, Miss. – Sunday afternoon saw the Tennessee women's tennis team erase a three-point deficit to defeat Ole Miss, 4-3, in Oxford to earn their first SEC win of the season.

"Our girls played with determination and grit today and earned a well fought battle against a good Ole Miss team," said head coach Alison Ojeda. "As much as I wish we would have won Friday, it took us losing that match to really come together and have some honest conversations. We are coming back to Knoxville a more mature team."

Ole Miss (9-5, 1-3 SEC) took an early lead, claiming the doubles point with wins on courts one and two.

OM's No. 53-ranked pair of Sabina Machalova and Alexa Bortles defeated the No. 13-ranked junior pair of Kaitlin Staines and Tenika McGiffin, 6-2, on court one to open the match. The pair of senior Ariadna Riley and freshman Carly Briggs gave UT a doubles win on court three, taking down Grace Anne Jones and Kelsey Mize 6-2 with court two still in play.

The Rebels clinched the point when the No. 72-ranked pair of Anna Vrbenska and Tereza Janatova defeated sophomore Rebeka Mertena and senior Johanna Silva 6-3 on court two.

"After losing a doubles point, I think we did a great job to come back and take care of business," Mertena said. "We had a lot of energy. I'm really proud of how we handled this match after Friday loss."

UT (10-3, 1-2 SEC) fell on courts four and three to open singles play but stormed back on the remaining courts, earning their final two points in three-set bouts.

"After our last match, we talked a lot about believing and trusting in the program and our skills," said Silva. "I think everybody executed that very well today during tight situations. We had a slow start in doubles, but we knew if we give 100% in singles that we can win. My teammates gave me so much positive energy during the third set that I was able to clinch the match. I am very thankful and proud of my teammates."

Ole Miss' Bortles opened singles scoring with a 6-3, 6-1 win over No. 72-ranked Staines on court four. Vrbenska followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 103-ranked Briggs to give the Rebels a 3-0 lead.

Freshman Hadley Doyle opened the scoring for UT, defeating No. 124-ranked Mize in straight-sets, 6-3, 6-4, on court five to cut the Rebels' lead to 3-1. The win marks the freshman's first over a ranked opponent, and extends her career-long winning streak to five matches.

McGiffin followed on court six, taking down UM's Vic de Samucewicz 6-2, 6-4 on court six. The junior's win cut the Rebels' lead to 3-2 with courts one and two going into third sets.

On court one, No. 43-ranked Mertena knotted the score with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win on court one. The sophomore earned her ninth-win over a ranked opponent in her career.

No. 59-ranked Silva clinched the match in a three-set tilt, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, over Janatova. The senior moves to 6-1 in three-set matches and is 16-4 this season.

Up next, the Lady Vols will host South Carolina on Friday and Florida on Sunday in Knoxville.

#33 Tennessee 4, #26 Ole Miss 3
Singles Competition
1. #43 Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. #50 Sabina Machalova (OM) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2. #59 Johanna Silva (UT) def. Tereza Janatova (OM) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
3. Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. #103 Carly Briggs (UT) 6-3, 6-2
4. Alexa Bortles (OM) def. #72 Kaitlin Staines (UT) 6-3, 6-1
5. Hadley Doyle (UT) def. #124 Kelsey Mize (OM) 6-3, 6-4
6. Tenika McGiffin (UT) def. Vic de Samucewicz (OM) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles Competition
1. #53 Sabina Machalova/Alexa Bortles (OM) def. #13 Tenika McGiffin/Kaitlin Staines (UT) 6-2
2. #72 Anna Vrbenska/Tereza Janatova (OM) def. Rebeka Mertena/Johanna Silva (UT) 6-3
3. Ariadna Riley/Carly Briggs (UT) def. Grace Anne Jones/Kelsey Mize (OM) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,3,5,6,1,2)