Tennessee women’s tennis overcame a dropped doubles point to defeat Mississippi State 4-2 on Thursday in its first true road match of the season.

The No. 14 Lady Vols (6-1) won singles matches on Courts 1, 2, 3 and 5, outlasting a late surge from the No. 37 Bulldogs (9-2) to win. Tennessee began doubles play with a win on Court 2. Francesca Mattioli and Vanesa Suarez got out to a 4-1 lead against Mississippi State’s Emma Cohen and Thessy Ntondele Zinga and held on to win 6-3.

Next to finish was court 1, where Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso dropped a back-and-forth match to the Bulldogs’ Chiara Di Genova and Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz 6-4. Aulia and Britez Risso are ranked No. 21 in the country in doubles but have faced some of the best pairs on Court 1 this spring and have just a 2-4 record so far in the dual slate.

Finally, it was Saray Yli-Piipari and Maeve Thornton for the Lady Vols against Athina Pitta and Mia Robinson on Court 3. Yli–Piipari and Thornton quickly fell behind 5-1 and ultimately dropped the set 6-3. Mississippi State took the doubles point.

After a lackluster doubles result, the Lady Vols refocused to start out singles play strong. Britez Risso was the first to strike for Tennessee, defeating Carolina Troiano 6-2, 6-1 on Court 3 to tie up the dual and stay unbeaten in singles this spring. Next off the court was Mattioli, who beat Mississippi State’s Noemie Oliveras 6-3, 6- 1 to take the lead for Tennessee on Court 5. Mattioli, who is ranked #76, improves her singles record to 4-2 this spring.

Tennessee newcomer Katrina Scott made her awaited Lady Vols debut on Court 1, and did not disappoint, breezing through the first set 6-0 and then taking the second set 6-3 to take down Thessy Ntondele Zinga and put the Lady Vols up 3-1. Scott signed with Tennessee in January and had been working her way towards playing for the
Lady Vols. She immediately slots into the Court 1 position in singles for this team, providing the Lady Vols a major boost for the rest of the season.

The clinching point did not come easily for Tennessee. First, Saray Yli-Piipari fell to the Bulldogs’ Athina Pitta, battling to stay in it but losing in straight sets 7(7)-6(5), 6-4. Mississippi State drew closer, but Tennessee was still up 3-2. The Lady Vols needed either Suarez or Aulia to win their singles match to clinch the dual, and both were locked in three-set duels.

Suarez, as she often has this season, found herself in a close, drawn-out match, facing Mississippi State’s Chiara Di Genova on Court 2. Suarez took the first set 6-1 but quickly fell behind in the second set 3-0. She came back to go up 5-4 and had multiple chances to take the match for Tennessee, but ultimately Di Genova won three straight games, winning the second set 7-5 and forcing a final third set. But Suarez stayed composed throughout, and with her teammates cheering her on, she took the third set 6-2 to clinch the dual for Tennessee.

Aulia’s match was suspended, but she was also in a three-set showdown against Mia Robinson. Aulia took the first set 7-5, Robinson took the second set by the same score, and Robinson was up 3-1 in the third set.

The Lady Vols move to 6-1 on the season and 2-0 in the conference slate. They head to Tuscaloosa to finish their road trip against No. 28 Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 28.