University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
#5 Virginia
Women’s Tennis Central: #13 Tennessee at ITA National Indoor Team Championship
February 06, 2025 | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time in 13 years, the No. 13 Tennessee women's team will compete at the ITA National Indoor Team Championship.
Hosted by Northwestern and Illinois, action runs from Feb 7-11. The sixth-seeded Lady Vols will face fifth-ranked and third-seeded Virginia (6-1) on Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
The Lady Vols (4-0) will return to action after a week off of playing since clinching the ITA Kickoff Weekend Championship match. Tennessee has now achieved back-to-back seasons with a 4-0 start. The Big Orange is looking for its first 5-0 start since 2018.
Through the start of the spring season, senior Elza Tomase and junior Leyla Britez Risso have each posted a flawless 4-0 singles record. Both Tomase and Britez Risso have each snagged SEC Player of the Week honors, with Britez Risso earning it on Jan. 22 and Tomase claiming it on Jan. 29.
Three Lady Vols duos are currently undefeated in doubles. The pair of junior Catherine Aulia and Britez Risso are the lone tandem to produce a 2-0 ledger. Vanesa Suarez and Maeve Thornton are 1-0, as are Conley Raidt and Saray Yli-Piipari.
Tickets for the championship can be found HERE. Fans unable to attend can access live streaming from the ITA HERE and from Cracked Racquets HERE.
Lady Vols in the Rankings:
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced on Jan. 29 that the squad is No. 13 in the third poll of 2025. The following members of the team were ranked in the first spring ITA individual poll posted on Feb. 5, 2025:
Singles
No. 7 Elza Tomase
No. 32 Catherine Aulia
No. 77 Vanesa Suarez
No. 104 Leyla Britez Risso
Doubles
No. 32 Elza Tomase & Catherine Aulia
No. 54 Vanesa Suarez & Maeve Thornton
No. 75 Elza Tomase & Elim Yan
Tennessee at ITA National Indoor Team Championship: Tennessee has garnered four total ITA National Indoor Team Championship appearances in school history, with the bids coming in 2025, 2012, 2011 and 2010. This year marks the first time in the Alison Ojeda era that the Lady Vols will compete for the title. Tennessee has only won its first-round matchup once, defeating Baylor in a 4-0 sweep on Feb. 10, 2012.
Scouting Virginia: The Lady Vols are 7-6 in their all-time series with Virginia, including 2-4 at neutral sites. The last time the two squads met was four seasons ago, in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Charlottesville, Va., in a neutral-site match, with the Cavaliers posting a 4-2 win on May 8, 2021. Friday's meeting will be the first time the two teams have faced each other at the ITA Team Indoor Championships.
Hoos in the rankings:
Singles
No. 19 Elaine Chervinsky
No. 27 Annabelle Xu
No. 33 Sara Ziodato
No. 64 Melodie Collard
Doubles
No. 1 Chervinsky & Collard
No. 23 Genis Salas & Xu
No. 73 Ziodato & Navarro
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Players Mentioned
