University of Tennessee
#67 Kentucky
#7 Lady Vols Fend Off #67 Wildcats, 4-2
February 22, 2025 | Women's Tennis
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The seventh-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team won its conference opener Saturday afternoon, edging Kentucky, 4-2, at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. The Lady Vols posted their fourth consecutive win against the Wildcats, a streak dates to April 10, 2022, when the Big Orange notched a 4-0 win in Knoxville.
"We played a tough Kentucky team today who came out ready to go," head coach Alison Ojeda stated. "With that being said, we keep learning a lot about our team. This team loves to compete on match days and looks forward to facing adversity that comes with competing at a high level. I am always focused on the areas we can continue to improve on and I certainly see what we will need to practice this upcoming week to prepare for next week's SEC opponents."
Tennessee (7-1, 1-0 SEC) got off to a stellar start, posting back-to-back victories against Kentucky (6-3, 0-1 SEC) to capture a 1-0 lead. Leyla Britez Risso and Catherine Aulia etched the first win against Zoe Hammond and Tess Bucher, 6-1. The pair of Vanesa Suarez and Maeve Thornton locked up the doubles point with a 6-2 victory over Julia Zhu and Asuncion Jadue. The No. 56-ranked duo of Elza Tomase and Elim Yan led, 5-4, against Ellie Eades and Lizzy Stevens when play halted.
In singles, No. 36 Aulia registered the first win against Lizzy Stevens in a 6-1, 6-2 affair. No. 69 Britez Risso closed out a 6-1, 6-4 advantage over Ellie Eades to put the Lady Vols up, 3-0.
Kentucky claimed the nex two points, with Thornton falling to No. 59 Julia Zhu, 1-6, 2-6, and No. 5 Tomase dopping a 4-6, 2-6 affair to Zoe Hammond.
No. 110 Suarez clinched the match for the Big Orange in her SEC debut, posting a 6-2, 6-3 decision against Tess Bucher.
Up Next: Tennessee will hit the road to face Ole Miss on Friday at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. The match is slated to begin at 4 p.m. ET.
Match Notables:
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The win marked the 795th victory for the Tennessee women's tennis program.
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Head coach Alison Ojeda now owns 150 victories during her tenure, the third-winningest coach in program history.
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Ojeda tallied her 195th career win, just five wins shy of 200 victories.
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Tennessee collected its 32nd victory against Kentucky, improving its all-time record to 32-20.
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The Lady Vols earned the doubles point for the sixth time this season.
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The Big Orange have knocked off four ranked opponents thus far, defeating No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 15 Pepperdine, No.4 Stanford and No. 67 Kentucky.
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The doubles pairing of Leyla Britez Risso and Catherine Aulia earned their fourth straight victory of the season, remaining flawless thus far.
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Leyla Britez Risso earned her eighth consecutive singles win of the spring, as the junior is a perfect 8-0.
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Vanesa Suarez earned her 35th singles win of her career.
Results:
Doubles
1. Ellie Eades and Lizzy Stevens (UK) vs. #56 Elza Tomase and Elim Yan (TENN), UF, 4-5
2. Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso (TENN) def. Zoe Hammond and Tess Bucher (UK) 6-1
3. Vanesa Suarez and Maeve Thornton (TENN) def. Julia Zhu and Asuncion Jadue (UK) 6-2
Singles
1. Zoe Hammond (UK) def. #5 Elza Tomase (TENN) 6-4 6-2
2. #36 Catherine Aulia (TENN) def. Lizzy Stevens (UK) 6-1 6-2
3. #59 Julia Zhu (UK) def. Maeve Thornton (TENN) 6-1 6-2
4. #69 Leyla Britez Risso (TENN) def. Ellie Eades (UK) 6-1 6-4
5. Vanesa Suarez (TENN) def. Tess Bucher (UK) 6-3 6-2
6. Asuncion Jadue (UK) vs. Conley Raidt (TENN)UF, 1-6 3-1
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
2,4,3,1,5
Players Mentioned
