University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Texas Tech
#18 Tennessee Tames Red Raiders, 4-0, Advances to Regional Championship Round
January 24, 2025 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 18 Tennessee women's tennis team posted a 4-0 sweep against Texas Tech during the opening round of ITA Kickoff Weekend. It marked the second consecutive year the Lady Vols have defeated their first-round opponent.
"These girls are working so hard," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "What I love today about what I saw in the match is things that we're working on from practice that we saw from the Wake Forest match, we implemented today. So that is really important."
Tennessee quickly secured the doubles point, grabbing a 1-0 lead on the Red Raiders. The pair of Elza Tomase and Elim Yan knocked off the No. 15th-ranked duo of Avelina Sayfetdinova & Mariia Hlahola, 6-1. Maeve Thornton and Vanesa Suarez secured the doubles point by hanging a 6-2 victory over No. 33 Andreea Lila and Jermine Sherif. Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso were up, 4-3, on Kate Dmitrichenko and Hailey Murphy before the Lady Vols locked up the doubles point.
In singles, No. 10 Tomase notched a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Avelina Sayfetdinova to put UT up by two. No. 106 Britez Risso collected the third point of the match by adding a 6-3, 7-6(1) result against Hailey Murphy. No. 19 Aulia clinched the match by edging Mariie Hlahola, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
"I think we're fighters," Aulia said. "We play tough, we want to hang in there and we want to be out there all day if we have to. I think this team is really tough. We put in the work and everyone wants to work really hard, so it's really exciting."
Up Next: The Lady Vols will meet No. 15 Ohio State in the Regional ITA Kickoff Weekend Championship round. The match is slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. at Goodfriend Tennis Center.
Match Notables:
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The win marked the 790th victory for the Tennessee women's tennis program.
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Head coach Alison Ojeda now owns 146 victories during her tenure, the third-winningest coach in program history.
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Friday's win marked the 10th time the Lady Vols have advanced to the Regional Championship at ITA Kickoff Weekend.
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It marks the fourth consecutive year Tennessee earned a spot in the second round, last year the squad defeated No. 25 Vanderbilt, 4-3, on Jan. 26, 2024.
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Tennessee improved to 1-0 against Texas Tech, adding its first-ever victory against the Red Raiders.
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The Lady Vols collected the doubles point for the second time this season.
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Friday's wins mark the 27th time in program history that the Lady Vols begin the season 3-0, the seventh time under Ojeda.
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Junior Catherine Aulia earned her 50th career singles win.
Results:
Singles
1. #10 Elza Tomase (TENN) def. Avelina Sayfetdinova (TTU) 6-3, 6-2
2. #19 Catherine Aulia (TENN) def. Mariia Hlahola (TTU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
3. Maeve Thornton (TENN) vs. Kate Dmitrichenko (TTU) 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 3-1, unfinished
4. #54 Vanesa Suarez (TENN) vs. Andreea Lila (TTU) 7-6 (9-7), 5-5, unfinished
5. #106 Leyla Britez Risso (TENN) def. Hailey Murphy (TTU) 6-3 (7-1), 7-6
6. Elim Yan (TENN) vs. Elena Daskalova (TTU) 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 1-3, unfinished
Doubles
1. Elza Tomase/Elim Yan (TENN) def. #15 Avelina Sayfetdinova/Mariia Hlahola (TTU) 6-1
2. Catherine Aulia/Leyla Britez Risso (TENN) vs. Kate Dmitrichenko/Hailey Murphy (TTU) unfinished
3. Maeve Thornton/Vanesa Suarez (TENN) def. #33 Andreea Lila/Jermine Sherif (TTU) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,5,2)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
1,5,2
Players Mentioned
