PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - With their best outing so far this season Friday, Tennessee women’s tennis sophomore Brynn Boren and freshman Sarah Toti blanked No. 5 Kristy Frilling and Shannon Mathews of Notre Dame, 8-0, to advance to the Riviera/ITA All-American Championship quarterfinals of the doubles main draw at the Riviera Tennis Club.
“They actually have gotten better every day so far,” co-head coach Mike Patrick said. “Today was by far their best match they’ve played. It was one of those days in tennis where everything felt good; they hit well and just played really well. “
For both Lady Vols, Friday’s win marked the highest-ranked doubles victory of their UT careers and their fifth consecutive win together, all coming in this tournament. The 28th-ranked duo has defeated four ranked pairs in a row.
Featuring some of the best competition in the country, the road to the All-American Championship won’t get any easier after winning three qualifier matches just to earn a spot in the main draw.
“They got through a couple tight matches yesterday,” Patrick said. “They’re playing the best teams in the country and their confidence is growing. I haven’t had to say a whole lot. They learned a lot from last week’s tournament at Furman.
“They’ve kind of gone from there and done what they needed to do and what we talked about being better at. They’ve put themselves in position where they’re competing with the best so that’s a great thing for them.”
Awaiting Boren and Toti on Saturday at 9 a.m. PST is Georgia’s 15th-ranked veteran duo, seniors Chelsey Gullickson and Nadja Gilchrist. Each playing with different partners, Boren and Gullickson split a pair of head-to-head doubles meetings in 2010.
Senior Natalie Pluskota and freshman Joanna Henderson will also be in action for Tennessee on Saturday at 9 a.m. PST. The 22nd-ranked duo received a bye in the doubles main draw consolation bracket, and will face Paige Miles and Anastasia Putilina of Utah.
The quarterfinals and semifinals of each respective bracket will be played Saturday, while the championship matches will be held Sunday.
Singles quarterfinalists, doubles finalists and consolation champions will receive automatic entry into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships Nov. 3-6 in Flushing, N.Y.
The All-American Championship began in 1983 and features the top 128 players in the country.
Follow @LadyVol_Tennis on Twitter for up-to-date results and information regarding the team.
ITA All-American Championships
Pacific Palisades, Calif.
DOUBLES MAIN DRAW - Friday
#28 Brynn Boren/Sarah Toti (UT) def. #5 Kristy Frilling/Shannon Mathews (Notre Dame), 8-0
