Tennessee women’s tennis responded after a winless road trip, downing Ole Miss 4-1.
The No. 19 Lady Vols (12-8, 7-7 SEC) took care of the Rebels (13-10, 5-9 SEC) on Thursday afternoon, claiming the doubles point and straight-set wins on courts 1, 2 and 6.
“It was important for a couple different reasons, but the biggest one is, it just allows our team to realize how good we are,” head coach Alison Ojeda said of the win. “Our team just did a good job coming out and taking care of business, not making points bigger than they need to be, and certainly not taking our foot off the gas.”
After a road trip in which the Lady Vols couldn’t claim a doubles point, they bounced back against the Rebels, handling doubles in swift fashion. On Court 2, seniors Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso cruised 6-1 over the Rebels’ Riley Crowder and Alice Soulie. Then, it was Maeve Thornton and Katrina Scott to close out the doubles session on Court 3, triumphing over Brooklyn Olson and Beatrice Stagno, 6-3.
“Maeve was outstanding in doubles,” Ojeda said. “It was just honestly like clockwork, and she’s got Katrina setting her up, and those two are doing an excellent job.”
Vanesa Suarez and Francesca Mattioli were tied 3-3 against the No. 13 pairing of Andrea Nova and Emily Welker.
In singles, Scott cruised over No. 18 Welker in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2 on Court 1 to put Tennessee up 2-0. It’s Scott’s third win over a top-25 opponent this season.
“Welker is very, very good,” Ojeda said. “So what Katrina did today was just play incredibly consistent and solid from the first to the last point. She made Welker look like she’s not as good of a tennis player as she is.”
Ole Miss drew closer with a 6-4, 6-3 win by Crowder over Aulia on Court 4. As the remaining second sets were all close, Tennessee would need to dig deep to finish off the Rebels, who were not going to go away quietly.
Then, on her Senior Day, Britez Risso gave the Lady Vols a big win on Court 2. She had little trouble in the first set, winning 6-1 over Soulie. But in the second, Britez Risso fell behind 5-4.
Channeling her energy into the final few games, Britez Risso rallied back to take the set 7-5 and put the Lady Vols up 3-1.
“It definitely means everything,” Britez Risso said. “I knew I was going to be emotional, but I was able to just play through it, and realize that I wanted to do this for my teammates and for my coaches.”
Then, Thornton slammed the door on Court 6. After taking the first set 6-3 against Stagno, the junior was down 3-2 in the second but rattled off four straight to win 6-3 and clinch the dual for Tennessee.
Suarez was up 2-1 in her second set after winning a tiebreak to claim her first frame on Court 3. Mattioli was up 2-0 in her third set after winning 6-0 in the first but dropping the second set 6-2 on Court 5.
Postseason play is coming up fast for Tennessee, as the Lady Vols will have a quick turnaround to Norman, Oklahoma, for the SEC tournament after senior weekend concludes.
“I think I’m just really excited,” Britez Risso said. “We still have so much more to give, and we’re going to show it in the next couple matches, and honestly, whatever we have for the season left.”
The Lady Vols even up their conference record with one regular-season match remaining. They rematch against No. 12 LSU in a crucial battle for positioning in the SEC, taking on the Tigers at home on Saturday, April 11, at noon ET.
