University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, November 6
San Diego, Calif.
University of Tennessee
vs
ITA Conference Masters
Lady Vols Send Entries to ITA Sectional, Conference Masters Championships
November 05, 2025 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee women's tennis team is slated to compete at two ITA events this weekend, with seven entries heading to Baton Rouge, La., for the ITA South Sectional Championships and one doubles pair making the trip to San Diego for the ITA Conference Masters Championships.
Both events present final opportunities for the Lady Vols to secure automatic bids for the NCAA Individual Championships, slated for Nov. 18-23 in Orlando, Fla., at the USTA National Campus.
Streaming and Live Stats
Fans can watch the ITA Sectionals action live HERE. Fans can track the updated ITA Sectionals tournament bracket as results are finalized HERE.
The ITA Conference Masters can be streamed HERE. The Conference Masters will have live stats, found HERE. Fans can track the update Conference Masters tournament bracket as results are finalized HERE.
ITA South Sectional Preview
The ITA South Sectional Championships will take place from Nov. 6-9 at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, La.
The ITA Sectional Championships will be the last chance for some of the top players from across the country to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Individual Championships.
Only players and doubles teams who have yet to earn entry into the NCAA Championships and have made deep runs at the ITA All-American or ITA Regional Championships will be eligible for participation. The 2025 ITA Sectional Championships will have a singles draw size of 32 and doubles draw size of 16. From this, six singles players from each section (24 total) will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship (semifinalists, two quarterfinal playoff winners). Meanwhile, three doubles teams from each section (12 total) will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the Sectional Championships (champion, finalist, third place).
The Lady Vols sport seven total entries in the South Sectional fields, five in singles and two in doubles, good for the most of any team at the event. It is tied for the most at any of the four sections with Washington, the host of the West Sectional.
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso, who made a run to the ITA Regional semifinals last month in Knoxville, is positioned yet again to make a deep run as she enters the tournament as the third-seeded player in the singles bracket. She and teammate Catherine Aulia enter the South Sectional as the top-ranked duo in the doubles bracket. Britez Risso nearly earned two NCAA bids last month, as she fell just one win short in both singles and doubles competition at the ITA Regionals.
Vanesa Suarez and Saray Yli-Piipari seek to recapture their summertime successes, as they won the ITA National Summer Championships doubles title in August. The duo reached the Round of 16 at the ITA Regionals doubles field, but fell short in a loss to Purdue's Kolyszko/Wilson team. They will likely need to stage at least one upset victory of their own to book their ticket to Orlando, as the unseeded pair navigates their side of the tournament bracket.
ITA Conference Masters Preview
The ITA Conference Masters Championships will take place Nov. 6-9 at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
Four singles players will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship (semifinalists) and three doubles teams will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the Conference Masters (champion, finalist, third place).
Each NCAA AQ-eligible, Division I conference designates one singles player and one doubles team from each gender to participate in the event. The Lady Vol tandem of Francesca Mattioli and Maeve Thornton earned the women's doubles berth from the SEC.
The duo, still new to competition as the two competed as a team just once last season, staged an impressive semifinal run at the ITA Regional Championships. The unranked pair defeated the nation's No. 37-ranked doubles team in the regional quarterfinal and took the No. 12-ranked pair to a tiebreak third set in their semifinal matchup. They enter as the fourth-seeded doubles pair in the tournament field.
ITA Sectionals - Tennessee Lady Vols First Round Matchups (Nov. 6)
Elim Yan (UT) vs. Emily Welker (Ole Miss) - 9 a.m. ET
Leyla Britez Risso (UT) vs. Aely Arai (Miami) - 9 a.m. ET
Catherine Aulia (UT) vs. Ava Esposito (Auburn) - 11 a.m. ET
Vanesa Suarez (UT) vs. Xinyi Nong (Florida) - 11 a.m. ET
Saray Yli- Piipari (UT) vs. Kenna Erickson (LSU) - 11:00 a.m. ET
Aulia/Britez Risso (UT) vs. Kempenaers-Pocz/Oboniye (Miss. St.) - 3:00 p.m. ET
Suarez/Yli-Piipari (UT) vs. Bennett/Esposito (Auburn) - 3:00 p.m. ET
ITA Conference Masters - Tennessee Lady Vols First Round Matchups (Nov. 6)
Mattioli/Thornton (UT) vs. Barbaric/San Miguel Soria (N.C. Central) - 3:30 p.m. ET
Both events present final opportunities for the Lady Vols to secure automatic bids for the NCAA Individual Championships, slated for Nov. 18-23 in Orlando, Fla., at the USTA National Campus.
Streaming and Live Stats
Fans can watch the ITA Sectionals action live HERE. Fans can track the updated ITA Sectionals tournament bracket as results are finalized HERE.
The ITA Conference Masters can be streamed HERE. The Conference Masters will have live stats, found HERE. Fans can track the update Conference Masters tournament bracket as results are finalized HERE.
ITA South Sectional Preview
The ITA South Sectional Championships will take place from Nov. 6-9 at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, La.
The ITA Sectional Championships will be the last chance for some of the top players from across the country to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Individual Championships.
Only players and doubles teams who have yet to earn entry into the NCAA Championships and have made deep runs at the ITA All-American or ITA Regional Championships will be eligible for participation. The 2025 ITA Sectional Championships will have a singles draw size of 32 and doubles draw size of 16. From this, six singles players from each section (24 total) will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship (semifinalists, two quarterfinal playoff winners). Meanwhile, three doubles teams from each section (12 total) will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the Sectional Championships (champion, finalist, third place).
The Lady Vols sport seven total entries in the South Sectional fields, five in singles and two in doubles, good for the most of any team at the event. It is tied for the most at any of the four sections with Washington, the host of the West Sectional.
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso, who made a run to the ITA Regional semifinals last month in Knoxville, is positioned yet again to make a deep run as she enters the tournament as the third-seeded player in the singles bracket. She and teammate Catherine Aulia enter the South Sectional as the top-ranked duo in the doubles bracket. Britez Risso nearly earned two NCAA bids last month, as she fell just one win short in both singles and doubles competition at the ITA Regionals.
Vanesa Suarez and Saray Yli-Piipari seek to recapture their summertime successes, as they won the ITA National Summer Championships doubles title in August. The duo reached the Round of 16 at the ITA Regionals doubles field, but fell short in a loss to Purdue's Kolyszko/Wilson team. They will likely need to stage at least one upset victory of their own to book their ticket to Orlando, as the unseeded pair navigates their side of the tournament bracket.
ITA Conference Masters Preview
The ITA Conference Masters Championships will take place Nov. 6-9 at the Barnes Tennis Center in San Diego.
Four singles players will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship (semifinalists) and three doubles teams will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the Conference Masters (champion, finalist, third place).
Each NCAA AQ-eligible, Division I conference designates one singles player and one doubles team from each gender to participate in the event. The Lady Vol tandem of Francesca Mattioli and Maeve Thornton earned the women's doubles berth from the SEC.
The duo, still new to competition as the two competed as a team just once last season, staged an impressive semifinal run at the ITA Regional Championships. The unranked pair defeated the nation's No. 37-ranked doubles team in the regional quarterfinal and took the No. 12-ranked pair to a tiebreak third set in their semifinal matchup. They enter as the fourth-seeded doubles pair in the tournament field.
ITA Sectionals - Tennessee Lady Vols First Round Matchups (Nov. 6)
Elim Yan (UT) vs. Emily Welker (Ole Miss) - 9 a.m. ET
Leyla Britez Risso (UT) vs. Aely Arai (Miami) - 9 a.m. ET
Catherine Aulia (UT) vs. Ava Esposito (Auburn) - 11 a.m. ET
Vanesa Suarez (UT) vs. Xinyi Nong (Florida) - 11 a.m. ET
Saray Yli- Piipari (UT) vs. Kenna Erickson (LSU) - 11:00 a.m. ET
Aulia/Britez Risso (UT) vs. Kempenaers-Pocz/Oboniye (Miss. St.) - 3:00 p.m. ET
Suarez/Yli-Piipari (UT) vs. Bennett/Esposito (Auburn) - 3:00 p.m. ET
ITA Conference Masters - Tennessee Lady Vols First Round Matchups (Nov. 6)
Mattioli/Thornton (UT) vs. Barbaric/San Miguel Soria (N.C. Central) - 3:30 p.m. ET
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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