University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, October 16
Knoxville, Tenn.
University of Tennessee
vs
ITA Regionals
Photo by: Drew Garrison/Tennessee Athletic
Lady Vols Sweep First Round Matchups at ITA Regionals
October 17, 2025 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee women's tennis team claimed seven singles victories Friday in the first round of the singles main draw at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships.
Playing at home for the first time this season, six of seven Lady Vols notched straight-sets victories. No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso earned a swift 6-2, 6-1 win over Austin Peay's Sophia Baranov.
"I am super excited to play again at home," Britez Risso said following the match. "It's a different feeling, because not only are all of my teammates here, but all the people here. It just feels different."
Maeve Thornton collected a 6-3, 7-5 win over Lipscomb's Sofiia Paladi. The Knoxville native's triumph came in her first collegiate singles match of the season.
Sophomore Elim Yan, who competed in singles play in just four dual matches for Tennessee last season, picked up a victory over Kentucky freshman Reese Sager, 6-3, 7-5. The Australian native's win is her fifth of the fall slate, after a strong 4-1 run in the ITA All-American Championships.
All seven Lady Vols singles entries will play again on Sunday in the round of 32, and potentially the round of 16. Tomorrow, the doubles main draw begins, with tandems of Catherine Aulia/Britez Risso, Vanesa Suarez/Saray Yli-Piipari and Francesca Mattioli/Thornton competing in the round of 32.
ITA Regional Championships Information
The tournament presents an opportunity for two individual players, and one doubles pairing to earn automatic qualifications to the NCAA Individual Championships in November.
Each of the 2025 ITA Men's and Women's Division I Regional Championships will have a draw size of at least 64 in the singles qualifying draw and 64 in the singles main draw. The doubles field stands at a minimum of 32 in both the qualifying and main draws.
From these fields, the two singles finalists from each region (26 total players) will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship. Meanwhile, the doubles champion from each region (13 total entries) will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship.
For more information about the ITA Regional Championships, click HERE. For more information on the Ohio Valley Regional in Knoxville, click HERE. Click the following links for Live Stats, Live Streams, and directions to the Barksdale Tennis Stadium. All UT home tennis events are free to attend, and all seating is general admission.
ITA Ohio Valley Regionals – Lady Vols Results (Day One)
No. 17 Catherine Aulia (UT) def. Sophya Devas (Purdue) – 7-6 [3], 4-6, 6-4
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso (UT) def. Sophia Baranov (Austin Peay) – 6-2, 6-1
Francesca Mattioli (UT) def. Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) – 6-1, 6-3
No. 121 Vanesa Suarez (UT) def. Lena Peyer (MTSU) – 6-1, 6-0
Maeve Thornton (UT) def. Sofiia Paladi (Lipscomb) – 6-3, 7-5
Elim Yan (UT) def. Reese Sager (UK) – 6-3, 7-5
Saray Yli-Piipari (UT) def. Asuncion Jadue (UK) – 6-1, ret.
For all the latest information from Lady Vol Tennis, follow the team on Twitter/X @Vol_WTennis, Instagram @vol_wtennis or Facebook.
Playing at home for the first time this season, six of seven Lady Vols notched straight-sets victories. No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso earned a swift 6-2, 6-1 win over Austin Peay's Sophia Baranov.
"I am super excited to play again at home," Britez Risso said following the match. "It's a different feeling, because not only are all of my teammates here, but all the people here. It just feels different."
Maeve Thornton collected a 6-3, 7-5 win over Lipscomb's Sofiia Paladi. The Knoxville native's triumph came in her first collegiate singles match of the season.
Sophomore Elim Yan, who competed in singles play in just four dual matches for Tennessee last season, picked up a victory over Kentucky freshman Reese Sager, 6-3, 7-5. The Australian native's win is her fifth of the fall slate, after a strong 4-1 run in the ITA All-American Championships.
All seven Lady Vols singles entries will play again on Sunday in the round of 32, and potentially the round of 16. Tomorrow, the doubles main draw begins, with tandems of Catherine Aulia/Britez Risso, Vanesa Suarez/Saray Yli-Piipari and Francesca Mattioli/Thornton competing in the round of 32.
ITA Regional Championships Information
The tournament presents an opportunity for two individual players, and one doubles pairing to earn automatic qualifications to the NCAA Individual Championships in November.
Each of the 2025 ITA Men's and Women's Division I Regional Championships will have a draw size of at least 64 in the singles qualifying draw and 64 in the singles main draw. The doubles field stands at a minimum of 32 in both the qualifying and main draws.
From these fields, the two singles finalists from each region (26 total players) will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship. Meanwhile, the doubles champion from each region (13 total entries) will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship.
For more information about the ITA Regional Championships, click HERE. For more information on the Ohio Valley Regional in Knoxville, click HERE. Click the following links for Live Stats, Live Streams, and directions to the Barksdale Tennis Stadium. All UT home tennis events are free to attend, and all seating is general admission.
ITA Ohio Valley Regionals – Lady Vols Results (Day One)
No. 17 Catherine Aulia (UT) def. Sophya Devas (Purdue) – 7-6 [3], 4-6, 6-4
No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso (UT) def. Sophia Baranov (Austin Peay) – 6-2, 6-1
Francesca Mattioli (UT) def. Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) – 6-1, 6-3
No. 121 Vanesa Suarez (UT) def. Lena Peyer (MTSU) – 6-1, 6-0
Maeve Thornton (UT) def. Sofiia Paladi (Lipscomb) – 6-3, 7-5
Elim Yan (UT) def. Reese Sager (UK) – 6-3, 7-5
Saray Yli-Piipari (UT) def. Asuncion Jadue (UK) – 6-1, ret.
For all the latest information from Lady Vol Tennis, follow the team on Twitter/X @Vol_WTennis, Instagram @vol_wtennis or Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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