Tennessee (9-6, 3-4 SEC) set the tone early, getting a quick victory on Court 3 in doubles. Kylie Duckworth and Elza Tomase, playing together for the first time as a pairing, stormed out to a 6-1 decision. 13th-ranked Tenika McGiffin and Daria Kuczer clinched the doubles point, winning 6-3 on Court 1 and finishing just a few points ahead of Esther Adeshina and Rebeka Mertena who were just about to close it out on Court 2, up 5-3.
“Overall performance today I thought was outstanding,” head coach Alison Ojeda said. “We just got done meeting in the locker room and the message is the same as what it was Friday. We left it all on the court at all nine spots – three doubles, six singles courts. We did the same thing today and we were rewarded with a win. The girls did a really good job.”
Though the Lady Vols wanted to play in the Spring sunshine at Barksdale Stadium, the match was played inside of Goodfriend Tennis Center. The two sides could not come to an agreement to play outdoors as at match time it was 46 degrees, just under the 50-degree threshold set forth by the ITA. The different surface was no problem for the Big Orange as, after cruising through doubles, it rolled to six singles victories.
“In the SEC you’re never going to play a team that is not good,” senior Kylie Duckworth said after the match. “I think we have experienced that. We’ve played a lot of close matches, a lot of heartbreakers, but it was really good for us to come out today and start with momentum. The doubles point is really good for confidence going into singles.”
In the span of three minutes, from 2:04 p.m. to 2:07 p.m., the Lady Vols finished victories on four courts and clinched the match.
Kuczer was the first to finish in singles action. She rolled on Court 5, delivering a 6-2, 6-1 final tally. The senior from Szczecin, Poland earned her 15th singles victory of the season. It was also her first time this season being the first Big Orange player to finish.
Adeshina continued to slice up the competition, winning her 10th match in the last 12 decisions. She pushed and pulled the tempo of each point and was able to get overheads, which she finished with poise and confidence. Her final score on Court 4, 6-3, 6-3.
“Every time I get on court and I play my singles match I’m getting more confident, I’m enjoying it a lot more,” Esther Adeshina said at the conclusion of the day. “I’m just enjoying frustrating my opponent when I am playing and I think I still have a lot to improve on, but I’m happy with the way it’s going and I’m going to keep going at it.”
McGiffin delivered the clinching point for Tennessee on Court 2, polishing off a 6-3, 6-1 victory. She was immediately followed by Tomase, playing at No. 3 against No. 94 Ena Babic. The freshman got back on track, winning her 22nd match this season and breaking a three-match slide with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph.
After the match was secured, the Lady Vols played out the final two courts. Mertena did a tremendous job, battling back after dropping the opening stanza to send the match to a 10-point super tiebreak. She dominated the elongated third game, winning 10-1 to pick up her second ranked win of the weekend, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0(10-1) over No. 70 Safiya Carrington.
Eleonora Molinaro kept her impressive dual season going, battling to a 7-6(8-6), 6-3 victory on Court 6, completing the sweep for Tennessee and doing so in straight-set fashion.
Full results from today’s match can be found below.
UP NEXT
The Lady Vols travel west to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks on Friday, April 1 at 2 p.m. ET. That match will be streaming on the SEC CrossCourt Cast. Then, on Sunday, the Big Orange faces Missouri at 11 a.m. ET in Columbia, Mo. to wrap up the weekend.
WINDICTATORS
Tennessee is 8-0 this season when winning the doubles point. Further the Lady Vols are 7-0 when winning at No. 3 in singles.
16 ON THE SEASON
With the pair of ranked wins on Sunday, the Lady Vols now have 16 combined ranked victories between the No. 1, 2 and 3 players in the lineup. Rebeka Mertena tallied her sixth ranked victory of the year today, while Elza Tomase and Tenika McGiffin both hold five.
#31 Tennessee 7, #61 LSU 0
Singles
1. #44 Rebeka Mertena (TENN) def. #70 Safiya Carrington (LSU) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-1)
2. #37 Tenika McGiffin (TENN) def. Nina Geissler (LSU) 6-3, 6-1
3. #88 Elza Tomase (TENN) def. #94 Ena Babic (LSU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Esther Adeshina (TENN) def. Taylor Bridges (LSU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Daria Kuczer (TENN) def. Mia Rabinowitz (LSU) 6-2, 6-1
6. Eleonora Molinaro (TENN) def. Rania Azziz (LSU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3
Order of Finish: 5,4,2,3,1,6
Doubles
1. #13 Tenika McGiffin/Daria Kuczer (TENN) def. Safiya Carrington/Taylor Bridges (LSU) 6-3
2. Esther Adeshina/Rebeka Mertena (TENN) vs. Ena Babic/Maggie Cubitt (LSU) 5-3, unfinished
3. Kylie Duckworth/Elza Tomase (TENN) def. Nina Geissler/Mia Rabinowitz (LSU) 6-1
Order of Finish: 3,1
