Just past noon on a wintry Saturday, a lull began to come over the crowd at the Goodfriend Tennis Center. Tennessee women’s tennis had just lost the doubles point to Clemson, and the Lady Vols had dropped five first sets in singles. The Tigers had quieted the crowd, save for one faithful voice from the stands.

“Go, Fran! Go, Vanesa! Go, Saray!”

The voice called out to each of the six Lady Vols, encouraging them to keep fighting in their singles matches.
“Go, Elim! Go, Leyla! Go, Cat!”

The final name was shouted with a little extra strength, and it makes sense why. The voice belonged to Audrey Aulia, a Tennessee freshman and new member of Lady Vols tennis this spring. Her sister, senior Catherine Aulia, was the recipient of the encouragement down on court three.

“The coach was telling me to be really loud, and I also wanted to be really loud because I was really nervous as well,” Audrey Aulia said, laughing.

The Aulias are the first siblings to play for Lady Vols tennis since Paula and Peta Kelly, twins who played from 1978 to 1982 and set program records as a doubles pairing. Catherine and Audrey have something else in common with the Kelly twins as well: they are from Australia.

Tennis wasn’t Catherine’s first sport. She was a swimmer at a young age, and neither of her parents played tennis. But they were big fans of the Australian Open, and Catherine grew an interest in the sport as she watched players like Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova.

Once Catherine had started to play tennis, it wasn’t long until Audrey got involved, partly because she was bored with sitting around at the tennis facility during her sister’s practices. Besides, the two had done everything together until then, from swimming to piano lessons.

“Everything Cat did, I think I honestly just ended up doing,” Audrey said. “She’s a good role model.”

That included coming to Knoxville. When Catherine arrived at Tennessee as a freshman in a whole new country, great teammates and coaches helped her settle into the new environment. The same is true for Audrey, but having her sister around was a bonus.

“It’s very family-like, and obviously Cat is here, so I just knew I’d get less homesick, and she would also be able to help me fit in,” Audrey said.

Catherine and Audrey never got the chance to play in a match against each other when they were younger because of their age difference. But now they get to compete for a title together as Lady Vols.

“I just want to win a championship so bad,” Catherine said. “And the last three years have really, like, been leading up to it.”

Tennessee women’s tennis has never won a national title, but in Catherine’s sophomore season, the Lady Vols took a huge step toward that goal. They upset top-ranked Oklahoma State in the NCAA tournament, ending the Cowgirls’ 29-match winning streak that had lasted over a year. The Lady Vols went on to defeat UCLA en route to the Final Four before losing to the eventual champion, Texas A&M. Catherine was instrumental in both victories, winning a crucial singles match in each.

“I’ll never forget that year and that run,” she said. “It was obviously very special to beat an unbeaten team.”

More than just a semifinals run, though, Catherine remembers her sophomore season for the family-like nature of the team.

“I made some literally lifelong friendships,” Catherine said. “Our team was so close.”

Coming into the 2025 spring season, the team looked very different, with five freshmen and seven newcomers overall. Catherine was one of just three returning players for the Lady Vols.

“When we started off, we had a lot of talent, but we didn’t know how to use it,” she said. “We had to show all the new people how the program worked.”

As a junior, Catherine took on a leadership role in that process.

“Once they bought into that, we were honestly like this, uphill the whole way,” Catherine said, gesturing with her hand sloping upwards.

That played out during the season, culminating in a run to the quarterfinals before again falling to Texas A&M. The Lady Vols finished at No. 9 in the final ITA poll, and Cat earned first-team, All-SEC honors.

Head coach Alison Ojeda is the common denominator for all this success. She was instrumental in the Lady Vols’ only two semifinal appearances in program history as a former All-American player in 2002, and as the ITA Coach of the Year in 2024.

Now the Lady Vols are entering their 10th season under Ojeda as a rising program in women’s tennis.

“We want to be one of the best teams in the country,” Ojeda said after the Clemson match. “In order to be one of the best teams in the country, you’ve got to go against the best ones.”

There will be plenty of opportunities to do just that. Tennessee shares a conference with the last two national champions, Georgia and Texas A&M, as well as many other ranked opponents. The Lady Vols are facing the challenge of SEC play head on.

“There’s opportunities every single time we play,” Ojeda said.

Tennessee’s conference slate alone features eight top 25 matchups, including road dates with teams like Texas, Auburn and the reigning champion, Georgia.

“It’s obviously tough, but we love it,” Catherine said. “It’s always fun to play in an atmosphere where there’s people cheering both for and against you.”

As Catherine enters her senior season and Audrey begins her time with Tennessee, the Aulias are keenly aware of the chance that this season provides them and their team.

“There’s a real, like, buzz about the year, I feel,” Catherine said. “That’s how I felt in that Final Four year, so I’m excited.”

Ojeda’s Lady Vols are a family. The Aulia sisters’ relationship is just a manifestation of that dynamic. They use the word “we” to describe the legacy they want to leave at Tennessee.

“Honestly, individual results don’t really mean much to me,” Catherine said. “I want to win the whole thing.”

Back at the Goodfriend Tennis Center, about two hours had passed, and the crowd that had formerly been in a lull was now totally engaged. Tennessee had made a comeback to tie the match at 3-3, and it had all started with Catherine Aulia winning her singles match to give the Lady Vols their first point as her sister cheered her on.

Now both sisters stood with their teammates, eyes fixed on court one as Vanesa Suarez and Jade Groen battled for the match.

And as Suarez emerged victorious for the Lady Vols, Catherine and Audrey Aulia rushed the court the same way they’ve done everything: together.