University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, November 6
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University of Tennessee
vs
ITA Sectionals
Lady Vols Split Final Two Matches at ITA Sectionals
November 09, 2025 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee women's tennis team concluded play at the ITA South Sectional Sunday, completing the fall slate of ITA championship events. One Lady Vol pair collected a win in the final of the doubles consolation bracket.
Vanesa Suarez and Saray Yli-Piipari combined for a 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 victory, taking down Vanderbilt's Pearce/Yamakita tandem. Tennessee's duo jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set with an early break and held on to win set one by that same margin. In the tiebreak set, The Lady Vols again jumped to an early 4-0 lead, and would not relinquish their advantage, ultimately winning the tiebreak set.
The victory came in the final match of the doubles consolation bracket and marked the sixth win of the fall slate for the pairing, dating back to the ITA All-American Championships in September. This summer, the duo won the ITA National Summer Championships doubles title.
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso dropped her playoff match with Vanderbilt's Valeria Ray, 6-1, 6-3. Britez Risso boasts the deepest ITA Regional and ITA Sectional run by a Lady Vol this season, and she finishes her fall slate of collegiate competition with an 8-5 singles record.
The Lady Vols will send a representative to the Master'U tournament in France in early December, return to Knoxville for a series of hidden duals on January 9-11, before taking on Wake Forest at home for the dual season opener.
ITA South Sectional Results
Suarez/Yli-Piipari (UT) def. Pearce/Yamakita (VU) – 6-3, 4-6, 10-5
Valeria Ray (VU) def. Leyla Britez Risso (UT) – 6-1, 6-3
Vanesa Suarez and Saray Yli-Piipari combined for a 6-3, 4-6, 10-5 victory, taking down Vanderbilt's Pearce/Yamakita tandem. Tennessee's duo jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set with an early break and held on to win set one by that same margin. In the tiebreak set, The Lady Vols again jumped to an early 4-0 lead, and would not relinquish their advantage, ultimately winning the tiebreak set.
The victory came in the final match of the doubles consolation bracket and marked the sixth win of the fall slate for the pairing, dating back to the ITA All-American Championships in September. This summer, the duo won the ITA National Summer Championships doubles title.
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso dropped her playoff match with Vanderbilt's Valeria Ray, 6-1, 6-3. Britez Risso boasts the deepest ITA Regional and ITA Sectional run by a Lady Vol this season, and she finishes her fall slate of collegiate competition with an 8-5 singles record.
The Lady Vols will send a representative to the Master'U tournament in France in early December, return to Knoxville for a series of hidden duals on January 9-11, before taking on Wake Forest at home for the dual season opener.
ITA South Sectional Results
Suarez/Yli-Piipari (UT) def. Pearce/Yamakita (VU) – 6-3, 4-6, 10-5
Valeria Ray (VU) def. Leyla Britez Risso (UT) – 6-1, 6-3
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