Vols' resurgence will raise expectations in tennis

Sam Wintherbotham inherited a second-division SEC tennis team and guided Tennessee to a tie for second in the league and a No. 8 nationally ranking in his second season.

But the Vols' coach is far from satisfied.

He wanted more than a loss in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships.

"I'll be honest with you and absolutely clear - to lose in the Round of 16 is a not a great season in our mind," Winterbotham said of himself and associate head coach Chris Woodruff.

"We're representing a program that we think should be competing for a national championship. So it's not a great season when your season ends in the Round of 16.

"Having said that, what we did was we took a huge step forward in our program and probably this step happened a year earlier than most would have thought. We are now back in the top 10 and the rest of the country knows the Tennessee tennis program is back in the game."

Wintherbotham did it with four freshmen, a sophomore and a senior. He did it with an inexperienced team that was good enough to snap Georgia's 40-match SEC winning streak but was a bit overwhelmed at the NCAA Championships.

"Now, they're experienced and I expect them to handle it better," said Wintherbotham, admitting his team was a bit uptight in the 4-1 loss to Baylor.

"I'm proud the team was able to take that step as quickly as we did. But nobody here is happy about losing in the Round of 16."

Wintherbotham is confident his Vols can march right back into the Sweet 16. Not only do five starters return, but the Vols signed a top junior player from Florida, Brian Schwarz, and they have a commitment from another top young player.

"We're going to be back next year and hopefully we'll make it a lot further," he said. "We feel we've recruited well. We have a tremendous base of returning players. Now they've actually started believing they should be here and they've got a taste for it now."

Caitlyn Captures Doubles: Caitlyn Williams of Knoxville and her doubles partner, Megan Kurey of Georgia, won the doubles at the Girls 16 National Open in Norman, Okla.

Seeded No. 2, Williams and Kurey defeated the No. 7 seed in the quarterfinals 8-4, then beat the No. 4 seeds in the semifinals in a tie-breaker, 9-8.

In the finals, they prevailed over the No. 6 seed, 8-4.

In singles, Williams, seeded No. 2, lost in the semifinals. She advanced with wins over Sarah Viebrock 7-5, 6-0, nine-seed Emily Conrad 6-3, 6-1, and MacKenzie Knoop 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, Williams lost to the three-seed, Alicia Kauss, in three sets, 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.

In the playoff for third and fourth, Williams beat the No. 9 seed, Nicole Flower, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, to snag third place.

Membership Drive: Cedar Bluff Racquet Club is again having its annual Spring Membership Drive from now through June 15.

The normal $350 initiation fee is being waived and the first month's dues will be free.

Cedar Bluff is one of the largest tennis facilities in the South. It offers 14 outdoor (clay and hard) courts and 10 indoor hard courts and is located on 12 1/2 acres off of Fox Lonas Road in West Knoxville.

Fifteen memberships are available. Call 865-690-5700.

Jimmy Hyams is sports director for The Sports Animal radio station. For tennis notes, call 212-4619 or FAX information to 558-4218.