MARTIN, Tenn. - As it turns out, The University of Tennessee at Martin women's tennis team's year-long collaborative effort to help the fight against cancer reached donors from overseas who were more than willing to open their wallets for a good cause.

William Tiley - the father of UT Martin rising junior Jodie Tiley, a two-year letterwinner on the Skyhawk tennis team - owns a pub in his native Cambridge, England. When the tennis team began the year taking donations to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Memphis, William encouraged the patrons who often frequented his pub to donate what they could.

When the tips were tallied, William's loyal customers had given $585, which rounds out the total donation to nearly $3,000 from the UT Martin tennis squad.

"It took some time to convert the money from pounds to U.S. dollars but it was well worth it," UT Martin head coach Dennis Taylor said. "We are very appreciative of everyone who donated and made this project a huge success for UT Martin tennis and the Ronald McDonald House."

Four representatives of the Skyhawk tennis team presented a check to the Ronald McDonald House for $2,400 on May 5, and Taylor says the generosity of William and his customers ends this season's effort on a good note. Taylor and the tennis student-athletes will be back on campus and in the community next fall, collecting donations for the 2010-11 season.

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