Women’s Tennis Central: NC State

Saturday, February 13

Raleigh, N.C.

Noon ET

University of Tennessee

NC State

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

February 12, 2021 | Women's Tennis

Live Stats

By: Ricky Martinez

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After a 13-day break from competition, the refreshed No. 21-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team returns to action on Saturday against No. 12-ranked NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina.

First serve between the Lady Vols (5-1) and the Wolfpack (3-1) is slated for noon ET at the J. W. Isenhour Tennis Center.

Coverage: A complete recap of Saturday's competition will be posted to UTSports.com following the dual match. You can follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter for live updates.

Last Time Out: The Lady Vols picked up a ranked win over No. 16 Wake Forest at home. The Lady Vols dropped the doubles point but were resilient in singles play, winning five-of-six matches to take the dual 5-2.

In the Series: Saturday will mark the seventh meeting all-time between the UT and NC State in women's tennis. The Lady Vols hold a 5-1 advantage in the series and are 2-1 in Raleigh.

NC State claimed the most recent meeting in 2019, winning 4-0 in Raleigh.

Instant Impact: Newcomers Daria Kuczer and Esther Adeshina have made an instant impact since arriving on Rocky Top for the 2020-21 campaign.

As a doubles pair the junior and freshman duo are undefeated in dual-match play, boasting a 6-0 record at the No. 2 position. The pair have won seven-straight matches dating back to Jan. 11 and are 7-2 when paired together.

Kuczer, a transfer by way of Pepperdine, also holds a perfect singles dual-match record. The Szczecin, Poland native holds a 5-0 solo record in dual matches this season and is riding a five-match winning streak dating back to Jan. 15. Including the fall season, she is 11-5 in her debut season in Orange and White.

Singles Standouts: No. 53-ranked junior Rebeka Mertena and senior Tenika McGiffin have been electric in the 2021 dual match season.

Mertena, a Liepaja, Latvia product, has collected a 5-1 singles record thru six dual matches this season. The junior holds a perfect 4-0 record at the No. 2 spot and is 1-1 at the No. 3 position.

McGiffin, a senior from Brisbane, Australia, has tallied a 4-0 record in dual-match play this season, collecting wins at the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 positions. She is currently riding a season-long four-match winning streak dating back to Jan. 15.

Making her Debut: Freshman Eleonora Molinaro is expected to make her collegiate debut against NC State this weekend. Hailing from Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Molinaro has accrued an extensive on-court resume. She boasts a career-high ITF World Junior ranking of eighth and has ranked as high as 234 on the WTA list.

On the European circuit, Molinaro owns an ITF Grade A singles title in Italy and was a singles quarterfinalist and doubles semifinalist in the 2018 French Open Junior Championships.

In the Rankings
Doubles
2 – Alana Smith/Anna Rogers (NC State)
16 – Jaeda Daniel/Adriana Reami (NC State)

Singles
23 – Alana Smith (NC State)
35 – Anna Rogers (NC State)
38 – Adriana Reami (NC State)
52 – Rebeka Mertena
85 – Johanna Silva
112 – Sada Nahimana (NC State)
118 – Carly Briggs

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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.