#19 Lady Vols Earn 4-3 Victory over #12 LSU to Close Regular Season

Saturday, April 11

Knoxville, Tenn.

12 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

LSU

#19 Lady Vols Earn 4-3 Victory over #12 LSU to Close Regular Season

April 11, 2026 | Women's Tennis

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 19 University of Tennessee women's tennis team (13-8, 8-7 SEC) defeated the No. 12 LSU Tigers Saturday, 4-3, finishing the 2026 regular season with its third win over a higher-ranked opponent.

"LSU is one of the best teams in the country, and so are we," Tennessee head coach Alison Ojeda said. "We just went head-to-head against them, and the difference between us winning and losing this match is going after our shots at the right time but with low stress and high intensity."

Tennessee won the doubles point and carded singles wins on courts five, two and one to earn the win.

In doubles play, the Lady Vols delivered perhaps their most complete doubles showing of the dual season. No. 27 Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso earned a 6-3 set win on court two, and shortly thereafter, Katrina Scott and Maeve Thornton matched their performance with a 6-3 tally on court three. No. 32 Francesca Mattioli and Vanesa Suarez held a 5-1 advantage, serving for the match as the doubles point was sealed on court three.

The Tigers (15-8, 8-7 SEC) showed life to open singles play, claiming three first sets including dominant 6-1 and 6-0 opening frames by Addison Lanton on court three and Carolina Kuhl on court four, respectively. Lanton would be the first to claim a singles win, registering a 6-1, 6-2 win over Suarez.

Mattioli would pick up her doubles partner, though, claiming a 6-4, 6-1 win on court five to give the Lady Vols the lead once again. She won four games in a row to seal the second set and registered three total breaks in the final frame.

LSU's Kuhl would then retie the dual with a 6-0, 7-5 straight sets win on court four. Her opponent, Catherine Aulia, staved off a triple-match point at 3-5, eventually tying the second set. Ultimately, Kuhl broke to take the 6-5 lead and held serve to knot the dual at two apiece.

The Tigers took their first lead of the afternoon, a 3-2 edge, with a 7-6 (1), 6-3 showing on court six from Kenna Erickson. The Tiger jumped to a 5-3 lead in the first frame, but Lady Vol freshman Audrey Aulia managed a break and tied the set at five-all. The two would fight to a tiebreak, in which Erickson dominated to a 7-1 win. The rookie Aulia couldn't reclaim ground and dropped the second frame to put the Tigers one court away from victory.

Lady Vol senior No. 27 Leyla Britez Risso earned her 16^th singles win of the dual season to tie the match for a third time at 3-3. She and LSU's Ella McDonald traded 6-3 set wins to force a decisive third frame. Britez Risso earned a break to take a 3-1 lead, and another to close the match with a 6-2 tally. She finished her final campaign on Rocky Top with a flawless 11-0 singles record on her home courts.

The match was decided on court one, where Tennessee's No. 29 Katrina Scott earned a 7-6 (6), 6-1 win to seal the dual for Tennessee. The meeting between Brace and Scott, per WTA, was their third career matchup, with both previous matches occurring on the professional circuit. Brace claimed both previous decisions. Per UTR, Brace is the top-rated collegiate player in the nation (11.65 UTR) and Scott ranks as the third highest (11.55 UTR). In the battle of collegiate heavyweights, Scott landed the final blow.

The tiebreaker first set—which lasted longer than the complete singles matches on courts three and five—initially looked to be a one-sided affair, as Scott pounced to a 5-1 lead. Her opponent would then go on to win five straight games, taking a 6-5 lead. Scott held serve to force a tiebreak game, in which she ultimately earned the set lead. Brace, now visibly exhausted, couldn't muster a comeback and Scott ran away in a 6-1 second set.

"Excellent job on Katrina's end," Ojeda said of her protégé's performance. "She and Cadence [Brace] are two of the best players in the country. They're good friends and we knew it was going to be a hard fought match, but Katrina looked to move forward that entire match. She did an outstanding job."

Up Next
Tennessee now heads to Norman, Okla., for the SEC Women's Tennis Tournament. Tennessee, now seeded eighth following today's victory, will face the winner of the 9-seed vs. 16-seed matchup on Thursday.