Lady Vols tennis defeated UCLA, 4-3, on Friday to advance to its second Final Four in program history.
No. 16 seed Tennessee (22-7) last advanced to the Final Four in 2002 when Alison Ojeda was still a player. 22 years later, Ojeda led the Lady Vols to that round as a coach with the win over the No. 8 seed Bruins (21-6).
The Lady Vols struggled to find rhythm in the early stages of doubles, but the pairs all improved. Catherine Aulia and Lauren Anzalotta earned Tennessee’s first and only doubles victory.
The Bruins claimed the remaining two courts, with No. 11 Sofia Cabezas and Elza Tomase losing a tiebreak to UCLA.
Alana Wolfberg was the first Lady Vol to get on the scoreboard, winning Court 3 in a quick two set match. Facing No. 73 Bianca Fernandez, Wolfberg won, 6-0, 6-3.
With the game tied at one, UCLA dug in with a victory at Court 5, pulling ahead 2-1. The win came at the hands of Ahmani Guichard, who scored 6-2 in both sets over Tennessee’s Anzalotta.
Elza Tomase locked down a win at court two over No. 27 Kimmi Hance 2-6, 6-1, 7-5.
With the game tied in again at two, UCLA grabbed the lead right back on Court 6. Esther Adeshina battled to extend her match to a third set but couldn’t finish off the win.
Aulia defeated UCLA’s Elise Wagle, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 in a three-set battle that concluded just after the other two courts ended. Aulia struggled through the first set but took control in the third set.
No. 14 Cabezas struggled early against No. 32 Fangran Tian. She lost the first set and needed a tiebreak to get the match to a third set. Then, it all started to go right.
Cabezas delivered a masterful third set performance, winning the final set, 6-3. For the second straight match, Cabezas’ win sends the Lady Vols through to the next round.
Tennessee will take on No. 13 seed Texas A&M in the Final Four on Saturday.