April 1, 1997

Lady Volunteers Upset Notre Dame Women’s Tennis

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The 29th-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteer tennis team tied a season high with its fourth straight win on Monday afternoon, downing #12 Notre Dame by a 6-3 count at the UT Varsity Courts in Knoxville. The victory was the Lady Vols’ third straight over a higher-ranked team and improved UT’s record to 12-7 on the season.

Tennessee took four of the six singles matches, highlighted by a come-from-behind victory by sophomore Whitney Dill at No. 3 singles. The Knoxville, Tenn., native’s 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 triumph over Tiffany Gates was the turning point in the match. Juniors Manisha Malhotra and Erin Lowrey and sophomore Emily Woodside all posted straight-sets wins in singles action.

The Lady Vols iced the match when Malhotra and fellow junior Margie Lepsi, the nation’s eighth-ranked doubles team, registered an 8-5 victory over Gates and Jennifer Hall at No. 1 doubles. Earlier on, Woodside and freshman Candy Reid were also victorious in doubles action with an 8-2 laugher over Courtney Haskell and Kelley Olson.

Tennessee will continue its seven-match homestand on Thursday at 2 p.m., when Southeastern Conference rival South Carolina pays a visit to Knoxville. The Lady Vols will play the remainder of their regular-season matches against SEC opposition.

Tennessee 6, Notre Dame 3
No. 1 Singles – Manisha Malhotra (UT) def. Jennifer Hall, 6-1, 6-4.
No. 2 Singles – Marisa Velasco (ND) def. Margie Lepsi, 6-2, 6-4.
No. 3 Singles – Whitney Dill (UT) def. Tiffany Gates, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
No. 4 Singles – Kelly Zalinski (ND) def. Kristin Bachochin, 6-3, 6-0.
No. 5 Singles – Emily Woodside (UT) def. Kelly Olson, 6-1, 7-5.
No. 6 Singles – Erin Lowrey (UT) def. Sarah Scaringe, 6-2, 7-5.
No. 1 Doubles – Lepsi/Molhatra (UT) def. Gates/Hall, 8-5.
No. 2 Doubles – Velasco/Zalinski (ND) def. Bachochin/Dill, 8-3.
No. 3 Doubles – Candy Reid/Woodside (UT) def. Courtney Haskell/Olson, 8-2.