#14 Lady Vols fall to #5 LSU in First Round of ITA National Team Indoor Championships

Friday, February 6

Evanston, Ill.

10 a.m. ET

University of Tennessee

LSU

#14 Lady Vols fall to #5 LSU in First Round of ITA National Team Indoor Championships

February 06, 2026 | Women's Tennis

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CHICAGO - The University of Tennessee women's tennis team fell dropped its first-round matchup Friday at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Evanston, Ill.

The No. 14 Lady Vols (2-1) narrowly dropped the doubles point and led on two singles courts, but ultimately fell to the No. 5 Tigers (6-0) by a score of 4-0

In doubles play, The Lady Vols pounced to an early advantage, going up a break on all three courts. Tennessee's Francesca Mattioli/Vanesa Suarez tandem managed two breaks, 4-1, and would hold on to take the set 6-4 on a strike at the net by Mattioli.

Senior pairing No. 15 Catherine Aulia/Leyla Britez Risso also mustered a 4-1 lead on court one, but LSU's Erickson/McDonald duo stormed back, winning the next five games to win the set on court one, 6-4. On court three, Tennessee's Saray Yli-Piipari and Maeve Thornton battled to a tiebreaker with the Tigers' Kuhl/Marginean team but would fall by a 7-6 (7-3 score in the decisive extra game.

Now holding a 1-0 lead in the dual, The Tigers started hot in singles play, taking four first sets. They picked up their second point on court four, with Addison Lanton claiming a quick 6-0, 6-1 decision over Mattioli. Cadence Brace followed shortly after with a 6-2, 6-1 winner on court one over Suarez, pushing the lead to a daunting 3-0 edge.

Carolina Kuhl gave the Tigers the win on court three, as she defeated Catherine Aulia by a 6-4, 6-3 score. Aulia posed a threat to the end, taking back a break and holding serve to climb back from a 5-1 disadvantage in her second set.

The three courts left abandoned held potential for Tennessee, as Britez Risso and Yli-Piipari were each one game away from claiming singles victories on courts two and five, respectively. Britez Risso led 7-5, 5-3 and Yli-Piipari held a 7-6 (2), 5-1 edge. Elim Yan, after struggling to a 6-0 showing in her first set, turned the tables on the Tigers' Kenna Erickson, taking the second by a 6-2 ledger. They held serve to a 3-2 score in the final set before the dual was sealed.

Up Next
The Lady Vols will take on seventh-seeded No. 15 Virginia in a consolation matchup tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. ET in Evanston.

ITA National Team Indoor Championship Information
ITA's in-season team championship features a 16-team bracket, comprised of the two host programs (Illinois and Northwestern) and the 14 victors to emerge from ITA's Kickoff Weekend sites. The first round and consolation matches will be split between the sites in Champaign, Ill. and Evanston, Ill., before the quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship matches are held in Evanston.

The complete ITA National Team Indoor Bracket, competition schedule, as well as live stats and live broadcasts can be found on the ITA Tournament Homepage. Fans interested in attending the Team Indoor Championships can purchase tickets here.