University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#15 Pepperdine
#13 Lady Vols Power Past #15 Pepperdine, 4-3
February 08, 2025 | Women's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 13 Tennessee women's tennis team posted its first-ever win against No. 15 Pepperdine in a 4-3 consolation match triumph at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on Saturday afternoon at Combe Tennis Center, on the campus of Northwestern University.
"Today's match was another nail-biter with a similar, but very different ending," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "As a whole, I thought we came out more ready to compete in doubles and it showed."
The Lady Vols (5-1) came out firing against Pepperdine (1-5), grabbing the doubles point to put them ahead by one. Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso notched the first doubles win with a 6-2 victory over Taylor Goetz and Duru Soke. The 54th-ranked pair of Vanesa Suarez and Maeve Thornton secured the doubles point with a 6-4 win versus Anastasiia Grecnkina and Alexia Harmon. The 75th-ranked tandem of Elim Yan and Elza Tomase posted a 5-4 lead before Tennessee secured the doubles advantage.
Singles was a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final match. No. 7 Tomase locked up a 6-0, 6-1 advantage against No. 16 Savannah Broadus to put the Lady Vols ahead by two points. Thornton dropped her contest to No. 80 Vivian Yang, 2-6, 2-6 to make the score 2-1. No. 104 Britez Risso etched a 7-5, 6-0 ledger versus Liam Oved to put UT ahead by two points. No. 32 Aulia fell to Liam Oved in a 6-2, 5-7, 4-6 affair. The Waves evened up the match at 3-3 after No. 77 Suarez could not fend off Alexia Harmon, 6-4, 2-6, 4-6.
"I'm really proud of the team today," Tomase said." We came out with good energy, stayed focused and fought hard for every point. It was a tough match, but we stuck together and got the job done."
"Elza (Tomase) was outstanding," Ojeda remarked. "She performed at a very high level from start to finish against a good player. Leyla (Britez Risso) did such a great job of playing solid tennis and just wore down her opponent."
With the match tied at three-all, Conley Raidt clinched the victory in a three-set barnburner. She carded a 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph over No. 108 Duru Soke. The freshman has now captured three clinches thus far during the 2025 dual season, winning the final point in the following matches: Wake Forest, No. 15 Ohio State and No. 15 Pepperdine.
"Conley... wow, what guts she's shown," Ojeda added. "No one knows how they will handle a particular situation until you're in it. She's now been in it three times and we know how she's going to handle it. Impressive."
"I really wanted to rebound after my match yesterday and I think this clinch did exactly that for me," Raidt exclaimed. "I'm proud of myself for staying in each set and wanting to fight for every point. I felt like I was really able to feed off of my teammates' energy today which always encourages me to do it for them and the people that surround this program!"
Up Next: The Lady Vols will meet the winner of Northwestern or Stanford in its final consolation match of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
Match Notables:
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The win marked the 792nd victory for the Tennessee women's tennis program.
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Head coach Alison Ojeda now owns 147 victories during her tenure, the third-winningest coach in program history.
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Tennessee collected its first-ever victory against Pepperdine, improving their all-time record to 1-2.
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The Lady Vols collected the doubles point for the fourth time this season.
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Friday's win marks the Lady Vols' second victory against a ranked opponent in the 2025 season and the second top-15 victory.
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Tennessee's other top-15 win came against No. 15 Ohio State in a 4-3 ledger on Jan. 24, 2025.
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Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso produced their fourth straight victory together in doubles, improving their season record to 4-0.
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Elza Tomase took down her third ranked singles opponent of the season, she remains undefeated in singles with a 6-0 record.
Results:
Singles
1. #7 Elza Tomase (TENN) def. #16 Broadus,Savannah (PEPPW) 6-0, 6-1
2. Grechkina,Anastasiia (PEPPW) def. #32 Catherine Aulia (TENN) 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
3. #80 Yang,Vivian (PEPPW) def. Maeve Thornton (TENN) 6-2, 6-2
4. #104 Leyla Britez Risso (TENN) def. Oved,Liam (PEPPW) 7-5, 6-0
5. Harmon,Alexia (PEPPW) def. #77 Vanesa Suarez (TENN) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
6. Conley Raidt (TENN) def. #108 Söke,Duru (PEPPW) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3
Doubles
1. #75 Elza Tomase/Elim Yan (TENN) vs. #7 Broadus,Savannah/Yang,Vivian (PEPPW) 5-4, unfinished
2. Catherine Aulia/Leyla Britez Risso (TENN) def. Söke,Duru/Goetz,Taylor (PEPPW) 6-2
3. #54 Vanesa Suarez/Maeve Thornton (TENN) def. Grechkina,Anastasiia/Harmon,Alexia (PEPPW) 6-4
Match Notes:
Pepperdine 1-5; National ranking #15
Tennessee 5-1; National ranking #13
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,3,4,2,5,6)
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:
1,3,4,2,5,6
Players Mentioned
