Due to weather, all six courts were not available for play as the Lady Vols (7-2) made their home outdoor debut at Barksdale Stadium. This meant that in singles, match No. 6 would have to wait for the first available court to play. Molinaro waited just under an hour and a half to get on court. When she did, it was a battle with UCF’s Nandini Sharma. Molinaro took the first set with relative ease, 6-2, but Sharma came back to win the second, 7-5. With the score of the match even at three all, the two fought through the final frame.
Molinaro broke on Sharma’s first service game, but the Golden Knights’ No. 6 battled back in the clutch, breaking Molinaro at 5-3 to go 5-4. She would hold there, but Molinaro bounced back with a strong service game and got ahead in the final game before the potential tiebreaker. It would not be needed though, as the junior maintained her poise and delivered a winner, breaking for the match and the clinch.
“I am very proud of the fight and determination our team showed today,” head coach Alison Ojeda said. “UCF is a very well-coached team and they know how to win matches. We competed on every court today, and we needed to in order to get that victory.
Rebeka Mertena played a big role in the Lady Vols’ victory. The fifth-year senior clinched the doubles point on Court 1 with Esther Adeshina. Then in singles, she caught fire late, turning up the heat in a three-set battle with Stefani Webb to win 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
“Rebeka turned it on late in the third and ran away with that match,” Ojeda continued. “That right there was really critical for our team’s success. Daria also did a great job executing the gameplay against a very good opponent and then Ele closing that match out with all eyes on her was just fantastic.”
Daria Kuczer supplied Tennessee with its third point of the match, earning the only straight-sets victory for the Lady Vols in singles. She faced off against Jantje Tilbuerger and grinded through a 6-3, 6-2 win. Kuczer, currently ranked No. 38 in the ITA Singles Rankings, used long rallies to her advantage, playing at Tilbuerger’s stamina and taking advantage of mistakes when they were presented.
Tennessee also added a new face to the lineup, as Catherine Aulia made her dual debut Sunday afternoon.
“It was fun having Cat…
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