April 29, 2009

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - University of Tennessee women's tennis players Caitlin Whoriskey and Natalie Pluskota have both been invited to play in the individual portion of the NCAA Championships as the draws for the singles and doubles tournaments were announced Wednesday afternoon. Whoriskey will compete in singles for the second straight season, in addition to joining forces with Pluskota in doubles action.

The singles and doubles competitions will take place May 20-24, at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, following the conclusion of the team championships, which will run May 14-19.

Ranked as the No. 10 doubles pairing in the nation in the Campbell/Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll released on Wednesday as well, Whoriskey and Pluskota earned an at-large bid and will compete in the 32-team draw. The Tennessee tandem is 11-6 from the top position in the doubles lineup this year, with eight of those victories coming against nationally-ranked foes.

This season will mark the third straight that Whoriskey has taken part in the NCAA doubles championships, as she teamed with fellow classmate Zsófia Zubor to reach the Round of 16 as a freshman before bowing out in the opening round in 2008.

A 5-8 junior from East Sandwich, Mass., Whoriskey also earned an at-large bid to the singles tournament this season, just a year after dropping a 6-2, 6-1, decision to North Carolina's Sanaz Marand in the first round. A 2009 All-Southeastern Conference First Team member, Whoriskey is coming off a strong performance at the SEC Tournament in Fayetteville, Ark., where she picked up a pair of wins to help UT to just its second finals appearance in program history. Ranked as the 34th-best singles player in the nation, she is 21-17 from the No. 1 spot this year, and has 10 wins over ranked opponents.

The 10th-ranked Lady Vols will host the opening rounds of the team portion of the NCAA Tournament at the Goodfriend Tennis Center in Knoxville, May 9-10. Tennessee, seeded 10th in the competition, will face in-state foe East Tennessee State at Noon next Friday, following a 9 a.m. showdown between No. 22 South Carolina and 40th-ranked Wake Forest. The winners of both matches will advance to play at 1 p.m. the following day for the right to move on to the Round of 16 in College Station.