Lady Vols Take Six Matches in First Day of Regional Action
October 21, 2021 | Women's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – In a dominant showing on the first day of play, the Tennessee women's tennis team won six of its seven matches at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional hosted by Middle Tennessee State, Thursday, Oct. 21.
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"Our team had a good first day at regionals," head coach Alison Ojeda said following the last match. "I feel like we came out ready to play and stayed very focused throughout each match."
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The morning started off delayed by weather, but that did not stop No. 55-ranked Rebeka Mertena from bringing a fire early as she took down Sina Albersmeier from UT Martin 6-1, 6-0.
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Daria Kuczer and Olivia Symons delivered the next set of victories as Kuczer bested Northern Kentucky's Ananya Kothakota, 6-3, 6-2. Symons quickly followed with a 6-1, 6-4 victory against Catherine Senysiewicz-Slowek from Miami (Ohio), 6-1, 6-4.
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Esther Adeshina played her first singles match since Sept. 19 but found a rhythm early and cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Tyra Richardson from Louisville.
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Elza Tomase racked up a team-high eighth win of the season, facing another freshman in Makensie Long from Miami (Ohio). The Latvian beat her in perfect sets, winning 6-0, 6-0. She is the first Lady Vol this season to defeat an opponent without dropping a game.
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Eleonora Molinaro finished the day off for the Lady Vols on a high note, defeating Gabrielle Ochalik from IUPUI, 6-0, 6-1.
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Battling against a seeded Brindtha Ramasamy from Miami (Ohio), Callie Creath fell 2-6, 4-6. The defeat is not a deflating, though, as Ojeda emphasized that she will be an asset for the Lady Vols as the season progresses.
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"Callie did a great job competing against a very good player," Ojeda continued. "She has been working hard on a few specific areas of her game and because of that, she almost knocked off a seeded opponent today. I know losing is never fun, but I am confident that she's going to use today's experience to continue to develop."
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Due to delays and inclement weather in the area, doubles action that was scheduled to take place Thursday was pushed to Friday morning.
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While the Lady Vols battle it out in the Midstate, a LVFL Ojeda knows the impact of having support from your peers and is out supporting Tennessee soccer in their match against Vanderbilt after the conclusion of play.
"One of my favorite things about college sports is being able to cheer for our fellow coaches and athletes," Ojeda finished. "Our team is heading to Vandy to watch our Lady Vol Soccer take on the Commodores this evening.
Day One Results
Singles
No. 55Â Rebeka Mertena(UT) def. Sina Albersmeier(UTM) 6-1, 6-0
Daria Kuczer(UT) def. Ananya Kothakota(NKU) 6-3, 6-2
Olivia Symons(UT) def. Catherine Senysiewicz-Slowek(UMO) 6-1, 6-4
Esther Adeshina(UT) def. Tyra Richardson(UL) 6-2, 6-1
Elza Tomase(UT) def. Makensie Long(UMO) 6-0, 6-0
Eleonora Molinaro(UT) def. Gabrielle Ochalik(IUPUI) 6-0, 6-1
Brindtha Ramasamy(UMO) def. Callie Creath(UT) 6-2, 6-4
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Day Two Schedule
Doubles
No. 5 Adeshina/Kuczer(UT) vs. Woog/Jones (UM) - 9 a.m. CT
Mertena/Tomase(UT) vs. Morris/Torrealba (APSU) - 9 a.m. CT
McGiffin/Symons(UT) vs. Grosmann/Tumthong (UM) - 10 a.m. CT
Creath/Duckworth(UT) vs. Henry/Roberts (BU) - 9 a.m. CT
Players Mentioned
