Women’s Tennis Central: No. 5 Georgia

Sunday, February 21

Athens, Ga.

1 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

Georgia

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

February 20, 2021 | Women's Tennis

Live Stats & Stream

By: Ricky Martinez

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 19-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team opens Southeastern Conference play on Sunday when they take on fifth-ranked Georgia on Sunday in Athens, Georgia.

First serve between the Lady Vols (6-2) and the Bulldogs (3-1) is set for 1 p.m. ET inside Georgia's Magill Tennis Complex. Sunday's outing marks the fourth ranked opponent UT has faced in the 2021 dual-match season.

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

Last Time Out: The Lady Vols were dominant against ETSU, defeating them 7-0. UT closed out nonconference play with a 6-2 record and was undefeated at home, posting a 5-0 mark inside the Goodfriend Tennis Center.

Instant Impact: Junior Daria Kuczer, who arrived on Rocky Top in the midst of the COVID-19 global health crisis, has been extraordinary during the 2021 dual-match season.

The Szczecin, Poland native is undefeated in dual-match play this year and rides a seven-match winning streak heading into SEC play. Including the fall, she owns a 13-5 record in her debut season for the Lady Vols.

In doubles, she has won seven-of-eight matches with freshman Esther Adeshina at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Last week, the newcomer tandom bumped up to the No. 1 doubles position for the first time and won their match 6-3 over ETSU's Alejandra Morales and Mayya Gorbunova. Kuczer and Adeshina are 8-3 as a doubles pair.

Ranked Lady Vols: Three Lady Vols hold singles rankings on the latest ITA list for the 2021 season.

No. 52-ranked junior Rebeka Mertena is expected to play on court three against Georgia. The Liepaja, Latvia native holds a 6-2 record in dual-match play this season.

No. 85-ranked senior Johanna Silva will go for her 79th-career win on Sunday. The senior, who is taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA, is slated to appear on court six.

No. 118-ranked sophomore Carly Briggs holds a 12-6 record in her second year on Rocky Top. The Calhoun, Georgia product is expected to play on court two tomorrow, where she holds a 4-1 career mark.

First Collegiate Win, First Collegiate Clinch: Freshman Eleonora Molinaro collected her first collegiate singles and doubles wins against ETSU. In her first home match, Molinaro paired with Tenika McGiffin on court two to down ETSU's Laylo Bakhodirova and Emilia Alfaro 6-0 for their first win as a pair.

In singles play, the freshman was triumphant over Bakhodirova 6-4, 6-3 on court one to clinch the match at 4-0 for the Lady Vols. Molinaro is expected to play on court one against Georgia.

In the Rankings
Singles
16 – Katarina Jokic (UGA)
31 – Lea Ma (UGA)
50 – Marta Gonzalez (UGA)
52 – Rebeka Mertena (UT)
60 – Meg Kowalski (UGA)
73 – Morgan Coppoc (UGA)
85 – Johanna Silva (UT)
118 – Carly Briggs (UT)

Doubles
10 – Katrina Jokic and Anna Hertel (UGA)
37 – Eleni Christofi and Morgan Coppoc (UGA)

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.