Women's Tennis preview: Tennessee
No. 9 Texas (9-4) vs. No. 19 Tennessee (10-3) Scouting Tennessee: The Lady Vols are 10-3 on the dual season with all three of their losses having been to opponents ranked in the top 25, including Alabama (23), Duke (7) and North Carolina (10). Led by junior Sabita Maharaj, who is the No. 42 singles player in the nation with a 17-9 overall record, Tennessee is ranked 19th in the latest ITA poll and currently riding a three-match win streak. Series vs. Tennessee: This marks the 11th meeting between Texas and Tennessee. The Longhorns hold a 10-0 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to a 6-3 win by Texas on Oct. 19, 1981, in Knoxville. These two teams last met on March 17, 2004, when the Longhorns defeated the Lady Vols, 4-3, in Knoxville. Last Time on the Courts: The Longhorns posted their second upset of the season, defeating fifth-ranked Vanderbilt, 4-3, on Sunday, March 20. Texas lost the doubles point, but was able to collect four wins in singles en route to the victory. Kendra Strohm and Courtney Zauft defeated their opponents in straight sets, while Ristine Olson needed three to win her match and bring the Longhorns to within one point of recording the upset. The match was clinched by Katie Ruckert, who split the first two sets with the Commodores’ Amanda Taylor before rallying in the third to take the match, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. ITA Rankings: Texas climbed four spots to No. 9 in the most recent ITA national team rankings, released on March 22. On an individual note, three Longhorns are ranked in the national poll: sophomore Petra Dizdar is 95th and the team of juniors Katie Ruckert and Kendra Strohm are ranked 18th in doubles. The next set of team and individual rankings will be out March 29 and April 5, respectively.
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