University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Wake Forest
Super! Lady Vols Claim Knoxville Regional in 4-1 Win over Wake Forest
May 06, 2023 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time since 2010, the 14th-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team advanced to the Super Regionals of the NCAA Championship after defeating Wake Forest, 4-1, in the finals of the Women's NCAA Knoxville Regional.
Tennessee (21-5) has advanced to the Round of 16 for the 10th time in program history and will take on Texas A&M at 3 p.m. ET in College Station, Texas, on Friday, May 12.
Punch that ticket, D!! 🥶🥶🥶#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/CKUT1tZ4qp
— Tennessee Women's Tennis (@Vol_WTennis) May 6, 2023
"These guys have worked so hard. Not just this team, but so many teams that came before them," SEC Coach of the Year Alison Ojeda said after the match. "We've been able to recruit off of the success of other teams. I want to make sure every single Lady Vol knows they've been a huge part of us getting to this place. A couple of years ago, we almost did. We almost hosted but didn't quite get it. Then, we earned the host and took advantage of it. Now, all of the sudden, we have an opportunity to go to the Sweet 16 and keep going.""
The Lady Vols started off with a strong start in doubles, feeding off their decisive victories yesterday. Lauren Anzalotta and Catherine Aulia were the suppliers of momentum, dominating Mia Ahmad and Casie Wooten, 6-2, on Court 2 to put UT in the driver's seat.
Court 1 finished off the victory with the 45th-ranked pair of Rebeka Mertena and Esther Adeshina toppling No. 24 Brooke Killingsworth and Anna Brylin, 6-4, to clinch the point and put the Big Orange on the board first.
As the afternoon wore on and the heat intensified, it was clear that Tennessee had built up their endurance for play in May. The Lady Vols flashed bursts of speed and agility that allowed them to get to balls and finish points.
Showtime pic.twitter.com/ARaQw05QfD
— Tennessee Women's Tennis (@Vol_WTennis) May 6, 2023
"I give a lot of credit and want to shout out performance coach Ryan Metzger and our athletic trainers Yosef Presburger and Izzy Minkin," Ojeda continued. "Our team was able to give their all for Tennessee today, because of all they have done throughout the year."
Mertena, playing in her final match on Rocky Top in an illustrious career, was the first to secure a match victory. She dominated #73 Anna Brylin 6-1, 6-1, on Court 2, posting her 104th career singles victory as a Lady Vol. That figure ranks tied for sixth in program history with Peta Kelly who had 104 wins from 1978-1982.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 pic.twitter.com/6nnu4KOXfA
— Tennessee Women's Tennis (@Vol_WTennis) May 6, 2023
Anzalotta was the next to finish on Court 6, taking care of Jingyi Li 6-1, 6-4. Since February 17, Anzalotta has been 12-3 in singles for Tennessee, playing a huge role in the bottom of the Tennessee lineup.
In the middle courts, Wake Forest and Tennessee battled for each point in each game in the first set. Both Daria Kuczer and Elza Tomase went to first-set tiebreakers, and it provided a huge swing in momentum when they won them. The two took off in their second sets, piling points on top of points. Kuczer was eventually the one to clinch it. She finished off Brooke Killingsworth 7-6 (8), 6-2, to push the Lady Volunteers through to the Super Regionals.
"Also a massive thank you to our entire facilities crew, event management and support staff," Ojeda finished. "The work you all did to help this regional run smoothly and provide a great experience is a memory our student-athletes will remember and cherish." Full results from the match, along with head coach Alison Ojeda's full opening statement can be found below.
#14 Tennessee 4, Wake Forest 1
Singles1. #21 Elza Tomase (TENN) vs. #57 Casie Wooten (WF) 7-6 (7-5), 4-2, unfinished
2. #27 Rebeka Mertena (TENN) def. #73 Anna Brylin (WF) 6-1, 6-1
3. #48 Daria Kuczer (TENN) def. Brooke Killingsworth (WF) 7-6 (10-8), 6-2
4. Eleonora Molinaro (TENN) vs. Nevena Carton (WF) 3-6, 6-4, 1-2, unfinished
5. Whitley Pate (WF) def. Esther Adeshina (TENN) 6-3, 6-2
6. Lauren Anzalotta (TENN) def. Jingyi Li (WF) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 2,5,6,3
Doubles
1. #45 Rebeka Mertena/Esther Adeshina (TENN) def. #24 Brooke Killingsworth/Anna Brylin (WF) 6-4
2. Lauren Anzalotta/Catherine Aulia (TENN) def. Mia Ahmad/Casie Wooten (WF) 6-2
3. Daria Kuczer/Eleonora Molinaro (TENN) vs. Nevena Carton/Whitley Pate (WF) 4-5, unfinished
Order of finish: 2,1
2023 Women's NCAA Knoxville Regional
Tennessee advances to the Super Regionals.
Tennessee Head Coach Alison Ojeda
On the Lady Vols advancing to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2010…"It means a lot. These guys have worked so hard. Not just this team, but so many teams that came before this team. We've been able to recruit off of the success of other teams. I want to make sure every single Lady Vol knows they've been a huge part of us getting to this place. A couple of years ago, we almost did. We almost hosted, but didn't quite get it. Then, we earned the host and took advantage of it. Now, all of the sudden, we have an opportunity to go to the Sweet Sixteen and keep going."
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
2,5,6,3
Players Mentioned
