No. 20 Lady Vols Defeat Ole Miss, 4-3

Sunday, February 28

Oxford, Miss.

2 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

Ole Miss

KNOXVILLE, TN - 2021.02.18 - Tennessee vs. East Tennessee State

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

February 28, 2021 | Women's Tennis

Box Score Results

By: Ricky Martinez

OXFORD, Miss. – A three-set triumph from junior Daria Kuczer propelled the No. 20-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team past Ole Miss 4-3.

With the match tied at 3-3, Kuczer turned in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win on court five over Lillian Gabrielsen to give UT (7-4, 1-2 SEC) their first SEC win of the 2021 season. The win gives the Szczecin, Poland native an impressive 8-1 dual-match solo record and is now 4-1 this season in three-set bouts.

"We played two tough teams this weekend and learned a lot from both matches," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "I am very proud of the fact that we were able to learn from Friday and apply it immediately to today. Friday, we learned that we are good tennis players, but only when we let ourselves compete freely. Today, we learned we are good tennis players because we let ourselves compete freely."

The Lady Vols opened the match collecting the doubles point for a second outing in a row.

After the Rebels (5-5, 1-3 SEC) picked up a win on court one, the duo of Tenika McGiffin and Eleonora Molinaro defeated the No. 44-ranked pair of Anna Vrbenska and Tereza Janatova 6-4 on court two. The pair hold a 2-1 record together on the season and have recorded a perfect 2-0 mark on court two in dual-match play.

The sophomore tandem of Carly Briggs and Callie Creath fought off Tiphanie Fiquet and Lillian Gabrielsen on court three to secure a 1-0 advantage in the match for Tennessee. Briggs and Creath won 7-5 to collect their second-straight win as a pair, moving to 2-0 on the season.

No. 85-ranked senior Johanna Silva, who entered the lineup for the first time in SEC play this season, opened singles scoring with a straight-set win on court six. She easily downed Kelsey Mize 6-2, 6-2 to give UT a 2-0 advantage. Silva leaves Oxford, Mississippi with her 79th-career win.

The Rebels won three-straight matches on courts two, three and four to take a 3-2 advantage with courts one and five tightly contested.

"These athletes are more resilient now than ever before," Ojeda said. "Our whole world has been flipped upside down and we are all rolling with the punches. We will compete on dirt if you told us that is the only way we could play."

Molinaro kept No. 39-ranked Sabina Machalova from forcing a third set, winning 7-5, 7-6 (8-6) on court one to knot the dual at 3-3. The Luxembourg City, Luxembourg native picked up her first career win over a ranked opponent and first SEC triumph.

Almost instantly after Molinaro tied the dual, Kuczer won on court five to provide the contest's final margin.

Up next, the Lady Vols host SEC East foes South Carolina on Friday at noon ET and Florida on Sunday at noon ET on Rocky Top.

#20 Tennessee 4, Ole Miss 3
Singles competition
1. Eleonora Molinaro (UT) def. #39 Sabina Machalova (OM) 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)
2. Tiphanie Fiquet (OM) def. #118 Carly Briggs (UT) 6-4, 6-4
3. Tereza Janatova (OM) def. #52 Rebeka Mertena (UT) 6-4, 6-4
4. Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. Tenika McGiffin (UT) 6-2, 7-5
5. Daria Kuczer (UT) def. Lillian Gabrielsen (OM) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
6. #85 Johanna Silva (UT) def. Kelsey Mize (OM) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles competition
1. #24 Alexa Bortles/Sabina Machalova (OM) def. Esther Adeshina/Daria Kuczer (UT) 6-4
2. Eleonora Molinaro/Tenika McGiffin (UT) def. #44 Tereza Janatova/Anna Vrbenska (OM) 6-4
3. Carly Briggs/Callie Creath (UT) def. Tiphanie Fiquet/Lillian Gabrielsen (OM) 7-5

Match Notes:
Tennessee 7-4, 1-2 SEC; National ranking #20
Ole Miss 5-5, 1-3 SEC
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (6,2,3,4,1,5)

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