Women’s Tennis Central: #16 Tennessee at #59 South Carolina/#15 Florida

Ready for its first road test of the Southeastern Conference schedule, the 16^th-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team travels to No. 59 South Carolina on Friday, March 11, and No. 15 Florida on Sunday, March 13, in the second weekend of conference action.

Starting the weekend in Columbia, S.C., Tennessee faces the Gamecocks at the Carolina Tennis Center, with first serve scheduled for 5 p.m. If the match is played outdoors, fans can watch the new Cracked Racquets stream, available on UTSports.com, or by clicking here. If play is moved inside due to weather, no streaming will be available for Friday's contest. Live stats can be viewed by clicking here.

The Lady Vols then travel south to the Sunshine State to cap the weekend slate in Gainesville, Florida against the 15^th-ranked Gators at 1 p.m. at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex. Links for both live stats and the live stream can be found here.

HEAD COACH ALISON OJEDA
"South Carolina and Florida are two tough places to play at. South Carolina is going to have a very 'in your face' mentality, while Florida boasts an experienced group that knows how to win at home. With that being said, the most competitive athletes want to compete against the best in their sport. I love that we play in the SEC and have the chance to compete against tough opponent, after tough opponent."

"When Jarryd Chaplin and I recruit, we discuss the strength of our schedule. This is all a part of how we develop into mature, successful athletes. Every time we step on the court for a match, we have an opportunity to improve and elevate our level of play – not every conference has that."

LAST TIME OUT
The Lady Vols (8-2, 2-0 SEC) took care of business in the first weekend of SEC action, downing Mississippi State on Friday, March 4, and Ole Miss on Sunday, March 6.

In front of an energetic crowd of 312 at Barksdale Stadium on Sunday against Ole Miss, Esther Adeshina and Elza Tomase came roaring back from down 2-5 on Court 2 to claim the doubles point and a massive momentum swing for the Big Orange. The duo battled off four match points against the Rebels.

Eleonora Molinaro continued to shine on Court 6, winning her 11^th match in a row. UT also got singles victories from Elza Tomase, Esther Adeshina and Daria Kuczer in the 5-2 win over Ole Miss.

RANKING THE LADY VOLS
Tennessee has three singles and one doubles pair in the most recent ITA Individual Rankings, released on March 9:

Singles
Rebeka Mertena – No. 31
Tenika McGiffin – No. 45
Elza Tomase – No. 73

Doubles
Daria Kuczer/Tenika McGiffin – No. 10

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina, ranked No. 59 in the ITA's computerized rankings, enters Friday's match with a record of 6-5 and is 1-1 in SEC play. The Gamecocks defeated LSU, 6-1, last Sunday in Baton Rouge, La. On Friday, they fell to eighth-ranked Texas A&M, 1-6, on the road in the SEC opener.

South Carolina is led by standout freshman, and the second-ranked singles player in the country, Sarah Hamner. Hamner is 26-4 this year and 8-1 at the No. 1 singles position. She enters Friday's match on an eight-match win streak. 66^th-ranked Ayana Akli primarily plays at No. 2 for the Gamecocks, she holds the team's second-best record at 18-14 and is 5-4 on Court 2.

The Gamecocks have only played four home matches this season, but in those four contests, they have won the doubles point every time. In non-home matches, they are 2-5 in claiming the opening point.

SCOUTING THE GATORS
15^th-ranked Florida takes on Tennessee after a bout with No. 23 Georgia on Friday. The Gators are currently 8-3, 1-1 in SEC play. Before this weekend, they most recently fell to the eighth-ranked Aggies in College Station, Texas, 2-5. Florida holds a 3-3 record against top 25 teams (as of Thursday), with two of those wins coming against Florida State, one on the road and one at the USTA National Campus.

McCartney Kessler leads the Gators in the rankings, slotted at No. 32. She is 8-5 in singles and moved up 17 spots in this week's rankings. She is followed by Marlee Zein at No. 55 who holds a 10-11 ranking.

In doubles, Zein and Carly Briggs hold the sixth-ranking with a record of 15-7. That pairing won the Consolation Championship at the ITA Fall National Championship in San Diego, Calif. last November.

Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee also find themselves on the doubles rankings at No. 18 and boast an incredible 13-2 record this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Tennessee leads the all-time series with South Carolina, 27-22. The Lady Vols won the last matchup between the sides, 4-0 in Knoxville. That match marked the second time one of the teams has been swept in a meeting since Feb. 26, 1983. Since 2010, seven matchups between the Lady Vols and Gamecocks were decided by two points or less.

The Lady Volunteers also won the last contest with the Gators, 4-2 in Knoxville. Tennessee hasn't traveled to Gainesville since March 17, 2019. This year, UT will go to the swamp twice as UF hosts the 2022 SEC Tournament from April 20 to 24.

A FAMILIAR FACE
The weekend's matches mark the first for volunteer assistant Ben Rogers, a VFL who played for Tennessee from 2004-07. He accumulated a 79-42 record in doubles and 49-42 in singles on Rocky Top. Rogers was a doubles All-American in 2005 with Ockie Oosthuizen, compiling a 29-15 record that year. Rogers spent two different stints as a volunteer assistant at UT, coaching in 2010-11, then again from 2019-20. Both times he worked on the men's side. He was also an assistant coach in 2012 at Purdue, also coaching the men.

UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to Rocky Top next weekend to host No. 23 Georgia on Saturday, March 19^th, at noon at Barksdale Stadium.

Women’s Tennis Central: #16 Tennessee at #59 South Carolina/#15 Florida

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Esther Adeshina

Carly Briggs

Daria Kuczer

Tenika McGiffin

Rebeka Mertena

Eleonora Molinaro

Elza Tomase

University of Tennessee Athletics