University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Texas A&M
Women’s Tennis Central: Tennessee vs. #12 Texas A&M, LSU
March 24, 2022 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE – Hosting its final two matches of the homestand, the Tennessee women's tennis team prepares to take on #12 Texas A&M on Friday, March 25, at Noon ET and LSU on Sunday, March 27, at Noon ET. Both matches are scheduled to take place at Barksdale Stadium.
T-shirts will be given out to the first 100 fans in attendance for both Friday and Sunday. In addition, Sunday's match against LSU will be Bark at Barksdale. Fans are encouraged to bring their dogs (must be on a leash) to the match and will receive a tennis ball for each canine companion.
The weekend set marks the second-to-last home weekend of the regular season for the Lady Vols. Tennessee will be on the road next weekend, then again to close the season in three weeks. Sandwiched between are matches against Vanderbilt and Kentucky on All Vol Weekend.
The concessions stand will be open for both matches (if they are played outside), more information on the new upgrade to the fan experience can be found here.
Fans unable to attend the match can tune into the SEC CrossCourt Cast by Cracked Racquets, hosted on UTSports.com. This new way to watch will be available for Friday's match against Texas A&M and can be seen here. Live stats for both Friday and Sunday can be viewed here, while streaming for Sunday's bout with LSU can be found on Playsight, or by clicking here.
LAST TIME OUT
The Lady Vols (8-5, 2-3 SEC) fell to then-No. 15, now No. 7 Georgia, 4-0.
Tennessee was finding success in singles, courtesy of Rebeka Mertena, Esther Adeshina and Eleonora Molinaro, but the Bulldogs clinched the match before the Big Orange could claim a point.
The match marked the first SEC contest for freshman Olivia Symons, who played doubles with Kylie Duckworth on court 3.
HEAD COACH ALISON OJEDA
"As we head into another weekend of tough SEC competition, the energy in the building is the same as it has been: focused."
"We look forward to competing against another top-15 opponent in Texas A&M tomorrow. Our goal is to show up at all nine spots and compete for every single point, mentally, physically and emotionally."
"As far as our fans go, they have been absolutely incredible. We've had over 250 people at each of our last two matches and that has really made a difference for us on the court. Being able to pull energy from the crowd really builds the momentum for us and helps push us through. We are really hoping to see Lady Vol Nation in full force this weekend."
RANKING THE LADY VOLS
In the most recent ITA Individual Rakings, sponsored by Tennis-Point, the same three Lady Vol singles players remained in the order. Tenika McGiffin ascended to her highest-career ranking, while in doubles Esther Adeshina and Elza Tomase checked into the ranks for the first time as a pairing:
Singles
Tenika McGiffin – No. 37
Rebeka Mertena – No. 44
Elza Tomase – No. 88
Doubles
Daria Kuczer/Tenika McGiffin – No. 13
Esther Adeshina/Elza Tomase – No. 59
SCOUTING THE AGGIES
Texas A&M enters the weekend with the highest win total in Division I women's tennis. The Aggies are 20-1, with their only loss coming to No. 4 Cal in their opening match of the ITA Indoor National Championship in February. TAMU is 3-1 against ranked opponents this season and has not lost a true home or road match.
Three singles players and a pair of doubles teams are ranked for Texas A&M
Singles
Carson Branstine – No. 23
Tatiana Makarova – No. 29
Mary Stoiana – No. 93
Doubles
Jayci Goldsmith/Tatiana Makarova – No. 2
Carson Branstine/Mary Stoiana – No. 48
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
LSU (4-7, 3-3 SEC) has bounced back as of recent after a tough start to the season. The Tigers had three matches cancelled in non-conference play and three of their five non-con opponents were ranked in the top 25. LSU is riding a three-match win streak after defeating Mississippi State, 4-1, Kentucky, 4-1, and Vanderbilt, 4-3.
Tennessee faced LSU in the first round of ITA Kickoff Weekend in Columbus, Ohio, besting the Tigers 4-0. After taking the doubles point with wins on Courts 1 and 2, UT cruised to victory, courtesy of Mertena, Tomase and Kuczer. In total, the match lasted an hour and 52 minutes.
Two Tiger singles players are ranked:
Singles
Safiya Carrington – No. 70
Ena Babic – No. 94
ALL-TIME SERIES
Tennessee trails Texas A&M, 7-10, in the all-time series. The Lady Vols are 4-4 when playing the Aggies on Rocky Top.
The Lady Vols lead the all-time series with LSU, 31-19. Tennessee has taken the last two matchups with the Tigers, both of which came at a neutral site. UT holds an 11-8 record when facing LSU at home.
BRINGING THE JUICE
Tennessee enters the weekend with two consecutive home crowds of 250 or more. 312 people witnessed the victory over Ole Miss, 5-2, on March 6. While 254 people were on hand for last Saturday's showdown with Georgia.
SEE YOU AGAIN
The last time Tennessee faced the same opponent twice in the regular season, excluding the SEC Championship? 2019 when it played LSU in ITA Kickoff Weekend then again in SEC play.
HOME DEFENDERS
The Lady Vols have won nine of their last 10 home SEC matches dating back to April 14, 2019.
Players Mentioned
