Women's Tennis Faces Road Test at No. 11 Tennessee
2/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 11, 2011
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest women's tennis team will leave the friendly confines of Winston-Salem for the first time this season with a trip to Knoxville to face No. 11 Tennessee on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Demons Deacons hold an even 2-2 record going into the weekend, scoring wins over Winthrop and ETSU but falling to top 30 opponents Virginia and Notre Dame.
The Deacs have received some impressive performances from the bottom half of their lineup in the early season. Emilee Malvehy scored the two best wins of her career against Virginia, defeating top 30 opponents in both singles and doubles. Ryann Cutillo posted a big singles victory against Notre Dame last weekend, rallying from a 4-0 deficit in the final set to knock off No. 78 Chrissie McGaffigan 6-2, 1-6, 6-4.
No. 62 Martina Pavelec has also had a strong year at the top singles position. The Stuttgart, Germany native came up just short of a massive win against the Fighting Irish, falling 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (9) to No. 9 Kristy Frilling. The loss snapped a six-match singles winning streak for Pavelec, who has gone 12-5 in singles play this season, with four wins over ranked opponents.
Wake Forest and Tennessee will be meeting for the 28th time. The Demon Deacons hold a 16-11 advantage in the series and have won the last three matches, with the last meeting coming in Winston-Salem in 2008.
The Lady Vols have been a force in the national scene in recent years, having reached the NCAA Quarterfinals last season. Tennessee has started the season a perfect 4-0, with impressive wins over No. 17 Ole Miss and No. 25 Illinois.
The Volunteers boast three ranked singles players in No. 20 Brynn Boren, No. 87 Rosalia Alda and No. 116 Maria Sorbello. Junior Natalie Pluskota has led Tennessee with a perfect 4-0 record at the top singles spot. The Lady Vols also have two highly ranked doubles teams. The team of Alda and Millie Nichols is ranked No. 9 and the tandem of Boren and Sorbello came in at No. 19.
Players from Wake Forest and Tennessee faced off at the Wake Forest Invitational in the fall, with the Demon Deacons posting a combined 4-1 record in singles and doubles. In singles, Pavelec defeated Alda in straight sets, and Kathryn Talbert dominated Whitney Wofford 6-0, 6-1.
Wake's 14th-ranked doubles team of Talbert and Kayla Duncan cruised past Alda and Wofford 8-4, and Cutillo and Malvehy took down Nichols and Jennifer Meredith 8-5.
After their match against Tennessee, the Deacs will have a weekend off before their ACC opener at home against NC State on Feb. 27 at 1 p.m.
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