Oct. 25, 2008

WINSTON SALEM, N.C. - Juniors Ashley Murdock and Marjorie Ondeck of the Memphis women's tennis team have advanced to the quarterfinals of the main doubles draw at the 2008 ITA Southeast Regional on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, N.C.

Murdock and Ondeck defeated Caitlin Whoriskey and Zsofia Zubor of Tennessee, 8-2, in the round of 16. The Lady Vols finished 2008 ranked as the No. 24 team in the nation. Whoriskey had teamed with Maria Sorbello earlier this season to become the No. 33 doubles team. Whoriskey and Zubor teamed together last season to post an 11-9 mark, including wins over the nation's No. 4, No. 11 and No. 19 ranked duos.

In the round of 32. Murdock and Ondeck eliminated Austin Smith and Meg Fanjoy of North Carolina, 8-3. Smith and Fanjoy were 5-5 last season for the Tarheels on the team's way to finishing the season as the 17th-best team in the country. Murdock and Ondeck were 9-7 as a doubles partnership in the spring of 2008.

The next match for the two Lady Tigers will pit them against UNC-Greensboro's Alejandra Guerra and Arielle Vonstrolley. Guerra and Vonstrolley were 13-4 in the spring of 2008. UNCG's duo defeated teams from East Carolina, Vanderbilt and North Carolina to put them in the quarterfinals.

In singles play yesterday, Murdock, a junior from Memphis, Tenn., was defeated by Smith of North Carolina. Smith won the first set, 6-3, but Murdock came back to take the second set, 6-4. The two played each other to a 6-6 tie forcing a tiebreaker in the first set. Smith won the tiebreaker taking the match. Smith is the 76th-ranked singles player in the country. She was 14-10 in the spring of 2008, with wins over the No. 73 ,No. 108 and No. 123 singles competitors.

Check back at gotigersgo.com for updates on Murdock and Ondeck's doubles run at the 2008 ITA Southeast Regional