TVOC Tennis Feature: UTC's Kayla Jones in Three Semifinals

UTC rising senior Kayla Jones has post tennis plans to straighten teeth, fill cavities and put a smile on her patients’ faces.

But for now, Jones might rattle some teeth of a few opponents if they dare get in the way of her tough- to-handle forehand and the only smile will be on her face at the end of the match.

Fresh from a 22-8 college season, Jones, a Biology major on the way to dental school in the fall of 2016, is in the Women’s Open singles semifinals this morning at 10:30 against No.2 seed Maya Jansen (U of Alabama) who teamed with the No.1 seed Erin Routliffe to win the NCAA women’s doubles national title last month.

Semis Trifecta: Jones will also play two other semifinal matches Saturday - the women’s open doubles semis with UTC teammate Samantha Caswell (1:30 p.m.) and the open mixed doubles with UTC alum Ankit Chopra (3 p.m.).

“My first three years here at UTC have been wonderful and I am glad I chose to come here to play college tennis,” said Jones.

“The city and the people are great.”

Academics First: Jones, who had a 3.36 grade point average for the spring semester, is currently in summer school to get a couple of courses out of the way, including Physics next summer term.

“I might play a couple of ITA tournaments this summer and then will focus on my last year as a Moc once school starts in the fall,” said Jones who was 22-8 in singles (first team All-SoCon) and 20-5 in doubles with Caswell.

“We have a veteran team coming back for next season with four rising seniors and we are excited about the spring season as we host the Southern Conference tournament at the Champions Club.”

But before Jones can focus on next year, she has a date with a national champ in a Saturday’s semis match. A victory might not keep her teeth cavity-free, but will definitely give her that winning smile.

 

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net