Lady Vols tennis’ historic run comes to a close in the Final Four with a loss to Texas A&M.
Saturday night’s final four matchup between Tennessee and Texas A&M had to wait out an almost two hour rain delay before getting underway.
Texas A&M settled in from the jump, and it never looked back. The Lady Vols lost the final four matchup 4-1, bringing an end to the season.
The duo of Esther Adeshina and Alana Wolfberg dropped Court 2, 6-1 to Texas A&M’s (26-7) Luccianna Perez and Carson Branstine. The Aggies, with a quick advantage, needed just one more court to claim the first point of the night.
The Lady Vols (22-8) battled on both Courts 1 and 3, but the Aggies continued to press, winning Court 1, 6-2 over Tennessee’s Sofia Cabezas and Elza Tomase. The Aggies led the match 1-0 early.
Mary Stoiana took over court one from the jump, not letting Lady Vol Cabezas gain any ground over any set. Stoiana took care of business in just two frames, winning 6-1 and 6-2.
With the lead at 2-0 in favor of the Aggies, the Lady Vols needed four of the last five courts to advance.
Lady Vol Tomase was the next to fall at Court 2. Aggie Carson Branstine scored 7-5, 6-2 in two sets. This pushed the Aggies lead to 3-0, with one more court needed to win.
Senior Adeshina stopped the bleeding over on Court 6, a desperately needed save to keep the hopes alive. The match went to just two sets, Adeshina winning 6-3 and 6-4, but the Aggies still leading at 3-1.
Wolfberg delivered a gritty performance on court three for her first set, winning by a score of 7-5. The following two sets, she won three matches. Wolfberg battled back during the final four sets, but was bested.
Texas A&M’s Nicole Khirin, who won the following sets 6-0 and 6-3, handed the Aggies their ticket to the championship game against Georgia.
The Lady Vols 2024 run comes to an end, but the achievements made and heights earned continue to shine. The team finishes with a record of 22-8, in addition to their second Final Four appearance in the history of the program.
