University of Tennessee Team Page
Pluskota and Szekely Victorious In Both Singles And Doubles
**All Updated Draws Attached In PDF Format.**
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Senior Natalie Pluskota and junior Kata Szekely led the Tennessee women’s tennis team with a pair of doubles wins together, while individually each winning a singles match Saturday in the main draw of the USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional at the Racquet Club of Memphis.
Sophomore Brynn Boren, who won the singles and doubles titles at the event last year, also earned her way to the next round in the singles draw with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Butler’s Carolina Hedrick.
Playing together for the first time, Pluskota and Szekely won each of their matches in convincing fashion, starting the day with an 8-3 win over Gisella Pere and Imogen Golder of Purdue and advancing to the tournament’s quarterfinals with an 8-1 decision against Eastern Kentucky’s Kristina Labeja and Milena Poffo.
The doubles bracket’s sixth-ranked seed continues play at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday against Stefanie Mikesz and Mariya Slupska (Memphis).
Pluskota, who moved solely into 12th-place all-time at UT with 83 career doubles wins, will also continue her quest for a singles title after defeating Paula Jaime (ETSU), 7-5, 6-1. All five of her victories this season have come in straight sets.
The tournament’s one seed is slated to play Stephanie McLoughlin (Butler) at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday.
Szekely won her fifth singles match of the season and third in straight sets with a 6-2, 6-0 decision over Wright State’s Kayla Tuscany. Seeded 11th, she will continue singles play at 11:30 a.m. ET against Miami’s (Ohio) Christie Guarrazzi on Sunday.
Boren, who will face Indiana’s Kayla Fujimoto at 12:30 p.m. ET in the second round of the singles draw Sunday, also advanced in doubles with freshman Sarah Toti, before losing in the second round. The tournament’s top seed defeated Butler’s McLoughlin and Gabrielle Rubenstein, 8-6, before being eliminated by the same score by Julia Stiles and Khristina Blajkevitch (Kentucky).
Toti lost her first singles match as a Lady Vol, falling 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to Purdue’s Mara Schmidt. Toti will play in the singles back draw Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET against Cincinnati’s Ashleigh Witte.
With freshman Joanna Henderson struggling with foot problems, she and sophomore Kayla McMurry were replaced in the doubles draw. Henderson was also unable to compete in singles.
The second and third rounds of singles and doubles quarterfinals of the main draws are scheduled to be played Sunday. In the singles back draw, the opening two rounds are slated to take place Sunday as well.
The tournament runs through Tuesday, with the winners advancing to the USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships (Nov. 3-6) in New York.
Follow @LadyVol_Tennis on Twitter for up-to-date results.
USTA/ITA OHIO VALLEY REGIONAL
Memphis, Tenn.
SINGLES MAIN DRAW - Saturday
#29 Natalie Pluskota (UT) def. Paula Jaime (ETSU), 7-5, 6-1
#31 Brynn Boren (UT) def. Carolina Hedrick (Butler), 6-0, 6-1
Kata Szekely (UT) def. Kayla Tuscany (Wright State), 6-2, 6-0
Mara Schmidt (Purdue) def. Sarah Toti (UT), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
DOUBLES MAIN DRAW - Saturday
Natalie Pluskota/Kata Szekely (UT) def. Gisella Pere/Imogen Golder (Purdue), 8-3
Pluskota/Szekely (UT) def. Kristina Labeja/Milena Poffo (EKU), 8-1
#28 Brynn Boren/Sarah Toti (UT) def. Stephanie McLoughlin/Gabrielle Rubenstein (Butler), 8-6
Julia Stiles/Khristina Blajkevitch (UK) def. Boren/Toti (UT), 8-6
