University of Tennessee Athletics
Ojeda Announces 2026-27 Lady Vol Tennis Schedule
August 21, 2026 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee head women's tennis coach Alison Ojeda announced her team's 2026-2027 schedule Friday.
"The overall level of competition in college tennis just continues to rise," Ojeda said of the competitive slate. "I love seeing it, both as a coach and as a fan of college tennis. I am a big believer that if you can surround yourself with high-level competition and you love what you do, then you will figure out ways to find success. I am excited about every opportunity we have to compete this year."
The slate includes seven SEC matchups at home, three road trips to Nashville, Tenn., and one marquee ITA fall season event hosted in Knoxville.
Fall 2026 Schedule
The Lady Vols will take part in a number of professional and collegiate tournaments during individual action this fall. Tennessee student-athletes will compete at the ITA All-American Championships starting Sept. 19, beginning the race to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships.
The ITA Ohio Valley Regionals, another opportunity to secure an NCAA Championships bid, will run from Oct. 8 thru Oct. 13 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Last season's Ohio Valley Regional, hosted by Tennessee, saw Leyla Britez Risso and Catherine Aulia advance to the doubles final, while Britez Risso reached the singles semifinal.
Qualifying athletes who have yet to earn an NCAA Championship bid from either ITA All-Americans or ITA Regionals will be tabbed for the ITA Sectional Championships, hosted in Knoxville for the first time in the three-year history of the event. The south sectional, comprised of athletes from the Ohio Valley, Southern and Southeastern regions, will compete for the last available NCAA Championship bids at the Goodfriend Tennis Center and Barksdale Stadium from Nov. 5-8
"To be able to compete on our home courts for a spot in the NCAA individual championships is exciting," Ojeda said. "We won't know until right before the event who qualifies, but whoever it is, they will be ready."
In addition to collegiate competition, Lady Vol athletes will compete in a collection of professional competitions throughout the fall. Tennessee will send representatives to World Tennis (formerly ITF) 100k, 50k, 35k and 15k tournaments across the country, with dates and locations subject to draws.
The Lady Vols will finish individual competition with a preseason event hosted by Vanderbilt. The Lady Volunteers, Commodores and two other teams will compete in hidden duals over three days in preparation for the spring season.
Spring 2027 Schedule
Tennessee will open the 2027 dual slate with a doubleheader, inviting ETSU and UNC Greensboro to Knoxville on Jan. 13. Following those opening contests, it will face its first road challenge, a Jan. 16 clash with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. The 2027 campaign will mark the seventh in a row with a matchup between the Lady Vols and Demon Deacons, with Tennessee sporting a 7-0 record against Wake Forest since the start of that stretch in 2021.
Tennessee will once again compete in ITA Kickoff Weekend, aiming to qualify for ITA's National Indoor Team Championships for a third consecutive year. The Lady Vols will play at the Nashville site, facing Stanford in its first match on Jan. 22. Tennessee will then meet either Vanderbilt or Arizona in a championship or consolation match on Jan. 24.
The victors from each Kickoff Weekend host site will then compete in the Team Indoor Championships from Feb. 4 through Feb. 8, hosted by Ohio State and Michigan.
The Lady Vols will then host another doubleheader, welcoming Bellarmine back to Barksdale Stadium for two matchups on Feb. 19. Tennessee is 5-0 against Bellarmine since the programs first faced off in 2022. Tennessee will then end its non-conference schedule in Murfreesboro, Tenn., taking on Middle Tennessee State for the first time since 2017. It will mark the Lady Vols' first trip to Murfreesboro since the 2003 season.
For the third straight year, the Lady Vols will open SEC play against Kentucky. Tennessee has won each of the last six matchups versus the Wildcats, including each of the last two conference openers.
The team will return to Knoxville for its first SEC matchups at home, welcoming Alabama and Mississippi State on March 5 and March 7, respectively.
Tennessee then starts a four-match road trip, with trips to Ole Miss on March 12, LSU on March 14, Vanderbilt on March 19 and Missouri on March 21. The match at Vanderbilt will be UT's third trip to Tennessee's state capital in as many months.
"Vanderbilt is a program that I respect greatly," Ojeda said of the in-state foes. "Aleke [Tsoubanos] and I used to compete against each other years ago and now that we are both coaching at our alma mater, we continue to want to compete against each other as often and as hard as we can. We make each other better that way."
The Big Orange will then play another two matches at home, first hosting South Carolina on Rocky Top on March 25 before a matchup with Georgia on March 27. Tennessee will stay at home for one more matchup, welcoming Texas to Barksdale Stadium on April 2, before its final regular season road trip.
That trip takes Tennessee west for three matches, first against the reigning national champions in Texas A&M on April 4, before a weekend slate of Oklahoma on April 9 and Arkansas on April 11.
Tennessee again concludes the regular season at home, hosting Auburn on April 16 and Florida on April 18 to wrap conference play.
"Vol Nation is the best," Ojeda said. "When our fans show up and enthusiastically cheer us on, we feel it and our performance rises. We would love for this year's home crowd to be the best it has ever been!"
The SEC Women's Tennis Tournament will be hosted by LSU and run from April 20 through April 25. The SEC Tournament was last held in Baton Rouge, La., in 2016, the season before Ojeda's hiring as head coach.
NCAA Tournament regional and super regional match dates and hosts sites will be determined following conference tournaments, with the national quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship matches contested from May 20-29 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
The Lady Vols' complete spring schedule can be found here.
"The overall level of competition in college tennis just continues to rise," Ojeda said of the competitive slate. "I love seeing it, both as a coach and as a fan of college tennis. I am a big believer that if you can surround yourself with high-level competition and you love what you do, then you will figure out ways to find success. I am excited about every opportunity we have to compete this year."
The slate includes seven SEC matchups at home, three road trips to Nashville, Tenn., and one marquee ITA fall season event hosted in Knoxville.
Fall 2026 Schedule
The Lady Vols will take part in a number of professional and collegiate tournaments during individual action this fall. Tennessee student-athletes will compete at the ITA All-American Championships starting Sept. 19, beginning the race to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships.
The ITA Ohio Valley Regionals, another opportunity to secure an NCAA Championships bid, will run from Oct. 8 thru Oct. 13 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Last season's Ohio Valley Regional, hosted by Tennessee, saw Leyla Britez Risso and Catherine Aulia advance to the doubles final, while Britez Risso reached the singles semifinal.
Qualifying athletes who have yet to earn an NCAA Championship bid from either ITA All-Americans or ITA Regionals will be tabbed for the ITA Sectional Championships, hosted in Knoxville for the first time in the three-year history of the event. The south sectional, comprised of athletes from the Ohio Valley, Southern and Southeastern regions, will compete for the last available NCAA Championship bids at the Goodfriend Tennis Center and Barksdale Stadium from Nov. 5-8
"To be able to compete on our home courts for a spot in the NCAA individual championships is exciting," Ojeda said. "We won't know until right before the event who qualifies, but whoever it is, they will be ready."
In addition to collegiate competition, Lady Vol athletes will compete in a collection of professional competitions throughout the fall. Tennessee will send representatives to World Tennis (formerly ITF) 100k, 50k, 35k and 15k tournaments across the country, with dates and locations subject to draws.
The Lady Vols will finish individual competition with a preseason event hosted by Vanderbilt. The Lady Volunteers, Commodores and two other teams will compete in hidden duals over three days in preparation for the spring season.
Spring 2027 Schedule
Tennessee will open the 2027 dual slate with a doubleheader, inviting ETSU and UNC Greensboro to Knoxville on Jan. 13. Following those opening contests, it will face its first road challenge, a Jan. 16 clash with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. The 2027 campaign will mark the seventh in a row with a matchup between the Lady Vols and Demon Deacons, with Tennessee sporting a 7-0 record against Wake Forest since the start of that stretch in 2021.
Tennessee will once again compete in ITA Kickoff Weekend, aiming to qualify for ITA's National Indoor Team Championships for a third consecutive year. The Lady Vols will play at the Nashville site, facing Stanford in its first match on Jan. 22. Tennessee will then meet either Vanderbilt or Arizona in a championship or consolation match on Jan. 24.
The victors from each Kickoff Weekend host site will then compete in the Team Indoor Championships from Feb. 4 through Feb. 8, hosted by Ohio State and Michigan.
The Lady Vols will then host another doubleheader, welcoming Bellarmine back to Barksdale Stadium for two matchups on Feb. 19. Tennessee is 5-0 against Bellarmine since the programs first faced off in 2022. Tennessee will then end its non-conference schedule in Murfreesboro, Tenn., taking on Middle Tennessee State for the first time since 2017. It will mark the Lady Vols' first trip to Murfreesboro since the 2003 season.
For the third straight year, the Lady Vols will open SEC play against Kentucky. Tennessee has won each of the last six matchups versus the Wildcats, including each of the last two conference openers.
The team will return to Knoxville for its first SEC matchups at home, welcoming Alabama and Mississippi State on March 5 and March 7, respectively.
Tennessee then starts a four-match road trip, with trips to Ole Miss on March 12, LSU on March 14, Vanderbilt on March 19 and Missouri on March 21. The match at Vanderbilt will be UT's third trip to Tennessee's state capital in as many months.
"Vanderbilt is a program that I respect greatly," Ojeda said of the in-state foes. "Aleke [Tsoubanos] and I used to compete against each other years ago and now that we are both coaching at our alma mater, we continue to want to compete against each other as often and as hard as we can. We make each other better that way."
The Big Orange will then play another two matches at home, first hosting South Carolina on Rocky Top on March 25 before a matchup with Georgia on March 27. Tennessee will stay at home for one more matchup, welcoming Texas to Barksdale Stadium on April 2, before its final regular season road trip.
That trip takes Tennessee west for three matches, first against the reigning national champions in Texas A&M on April 4, before a weekend slate of Oklahoma on April 9 and Arkansas on April 11.
Tennessee again concludes the regular season at home, hosting Auburn on April 16 and Florida on April 18 to wrap conference play.
"Vol Nation is the best," Ojeda said. "When our fans show up and enthusiastically cheer us on, we feel it and our performance rises. We would love for this year's home crowd to be the best it has ever been!"
The SEC Women's Tennis Tournament will be hosted by LSU and run from April 20 through April 25. The SEC Tournament was last held in Baton Rouge, La., in 2016, the season before Ojeda's hiring as head coach.
NCAA Tournament regional and super regional match dates and hosts sites will be determined following conference tournaments, with the national quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship matches contested from May 20-29 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
The Lady Vols' complete spring schedule can be found here.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Friday, March 20
Thursday, March 20
Saturday, May 18
Wednesday, May 15
