#16 Lady Vols Knock Off Wake Forest, 6-1, in Dual Season Opener

Saturday, January 17

Knoxville, Tenn.

11:00 a.m. ET

University of Tennessee

Wake Forest

#16 Lady Vols Knock Off Wake Forest, 6-1, in Dual Season Opener

January 17, 2026 | Women's Tennis

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee women's tennis team claimed victory in it's dual season opener Saturday, defeating Wake Forest by a score of 6-1.

"I saw a lot of the good stuff that we've been doing every day in practice show up today in the match," Lady Vol head coach Alison Ojeda said of her team's performance. "The way we train, there's purpose behind it. For us to come out on day one and do that is really important.

"We all watched film of our match with Wake Forest from last year to get ready for this week," Ojeda said. "We felt that the energy was good… but we made too many errors early. The goal coming out today was to have that same intent, that same focus, but to make sure we're still competitive, in terms of balls in the court and not overplaying."

In doubles play, the Lady Vols picked up two decisive wins from No. 15 Catherine Aulia/Leyla Britez Risso on court one and from Maeve Thornton/Saray Yli-Piipari on court three. The senior duo on court one secured a 5-0 advantage and held serve to a 6-1 final tally. Thornton and Yli-Piipari earned a break to go up 3-1 before cruising to a 6-1 final score.

In singles competition, five Lady Vols earned victories. Vanesa Suarez, manning court one, earned an early break to go up 3-1, and rode that momentum to a dominant 6-1 showing in her first set. She would extend the stretch to six consecutive games, earning a 3-0 advantage in the second set. Suarez would defeat Wake Forest's Nevena Carton by a 6-1, 6-2 final.

"Knowing I would compete on court one, I knew that I had to bring a lot of energy," the senior said of her tone-setting performance. "I was very excited to compete with this team, because we love competing and we love cheering for each other. I was just so happy to be on the court today."

Tennessee sophomore Francesca Mattioli started in similarly strong fashion, pouncing on Wake's Kady Tannenbaum for a 4-0 advantage in the first set. Her score would match that of Suarez, as she too cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 ledger, giving Tennessee a 3-0 advantage in the dual.

Catherine Aulia and Wake's Heidi Bulger each held serve to a 3-3 score before the Lady Vol dropped her seventh game to go down a break, 3-4. However, she surged back, taking each of the next three games to earn a 6-4 win in her first set. The senior maintained the momentum from her comeback set and cruised to a 6-4, 6-1 win, sealing a win of the dual for Tennessee.

Britez Risso earned a win of her first set, picking up breaks to go up 3-1 and then 5-2, claiming the first set 6-2. In her second set, she earned a break to go up 5-4 with serve. She saw a match point slip from her grasp, as the Demon Deacons' Krystal Blanch tied the set at 5-5 at deuce. The Lady Vol rallied back and took the next two games to win 7-5

Yli-Piipari fell behind early on court five, finding herself in a 2-4 hole to start the match. Despite the setback, the sophomore from Lithonia, Ga. managed wins of the next four games, taking her first set, 6-4. In the second stanza, Wake Forest's Evie Oxford won the battle and earned a 6-4 set win of her own. In the final action of the afternoon, Yli-Piipari stormed to a 4-1 advantage in the 10-point tiebreak set and would claim the match with a 10-5 showing.

Tennessee moves to 10-0 in season openers under Ojeda and defeat the Demon Deacons in the lid-lifter for the second-straight season, after claiming a 4-3 victory in Winston Salem to open the 2025 slate.

The Lady Vols return to Goodfriend Tennis Center on Saturday, January 24, as they take on Clemson as part of the ITA Kickoff.