Emotions ran high for the No. 16 Lady Vols and No. 1 Oklahoma State at Greenwood Tennis Center — the Sweet 16 match boiled down to two final courts to decide a spot in the Elite Eight.
Entering the game, the Cowgirls sported a perfect record of 29-0, compiling an impressive resume in addition to their already strong 2024 season. More recently, the Cowgirls outscored their opponents 12-1 en route to their Big 12 tournament victory, their first of the sort since 2016.
Food for thought, but the Cowgirls leading into the Sweet 16 having not allowed a point or more to their opponent since April 7.
The Lady Vols, on the other hand, have been outside looking in all season. All seven of the team’s losses were dropped to ranked opponents, and it seemed like with each passing game, the Lady Vols were getting close but just couldn’t get over the hump. Until they did.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about it all season,” Tennessee head coach Alison Ojeda said. “We’ve been so close to having some breakthrough performances, and for whatever reason, it hasn’t happened.”
Ojeda has been both vocal and adamant about the idea that this team can compete with the best, but with the team putting the words into action on Saturday afternoon, there is a different feeling about the team now.
“I think we’ve been able to process the fact that we are a really good team,” senior Lauren Anzalotta said. ”I think we knew that the whole season, but this just gave us extra confirmation that we can win a national championship.”
After all, that is the goal — to be the last team standing, a feat that the Lady Vols tennis program has yet to achieve.
With the discussion of the teams’ inability to close games, they still have laid victory over 11 ranked opponents, six of them falling within the top 25.
Senior Esther Adeshina played a big role in the win over the Cowgirls, defeating Kristina Novak 6-4 and 6-3 in two sets of action. Novak entering the game had lost zero singles matches, Adeshina put an end to the streak.
“This year, we all believe in each other, and we all trust that the work we put in is gonna show on the court,” Adeshina said. “And when it gets to those tough moments, we know that we have put in the work.”
With every blow the team was dealt, they always bounced back higher.
From March 8-24, the team played five games, losing four of those matches with the sole victory coming against No. 41 LSU. The Lady Vols in total only lost six games during the regular season. The other two were also back-to-back losses at the hands of No. 18 USC and No. 7 NC State.
With that being said, after surviving the month of March, the team found its groove and, in a way, reignited the team’s identity.
“This team is so close,” Ojeda said. “They’ve come together from a discipline standpoint. Off the court they have a blast together. When all their families came to see them on Senior Day, it was really special because they all love each other.”
The team’s road isn’t over yet. They head back to Stillwater to take on the UCLA Bruins with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The Lady Vols have shown the rest of the league what they are capable of, and now they will have a chance to finish the job at Greenwood Tennis Center.
“It’s really loud, but we enjoyed it,” Anzalotta said. “We enjoyed playing in front of that crowd, and like Sofia (Cabezas) said, playing there was really good for us going into the next round.”
