By Stephen Mason
It may have been weeks since they last took to the courts, but there was no rust to be seen as No. 9 Tennessee women’s tennis swept Kentucky in both teams’ SEC opener at Barksdale Tennis Stadium. The Lady Vols dominated the Wildcats, taking the match 4-0.
The team started fast and aggressively in doubles play. On Court 3, Maeve Thornton and Saray Yli-Piipari were the first to finish, taking down Marina Fuduric and Elena Molla of the Wildcats, 6-2.
Francesca Mattioli and Vanesa Suarez finished next on Court 2, defeating Reese Sager and Asuncion Jadue 6-3, clinching the doubles point for the Lady Vols.
“I think just practicing a lot and having a good relationship is really important, even outside the court,” Mattioli said. “Just having good communication, practicing and giving our best.”
On Court 1, Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso were comfortably leading when doubles play concluded. The team showed once again that they will be hard to beat in doubles this season. All three of their pairings are ranked nationally, and the team is making a point to come out aggressively in doubles.
“It’s a big part of what we talk about in training every day,” Tennessee head coach Alison Ojeda said. “Doubles for us, the mindset for us is that it’s a quick sprint; singles is going to be a lot longer. So for us in doubles, we want the points to be short. It’s no secret; anyone who scouts us knows we want to go after the ball as often as we can.”
The Lady Vols took the momentum from doubles play directly into singles as they shut out the Wildcats. Britez Risso, Catherine Aulia, and Saray Yli-Piipari all won their singles matches in two sets, securing the match. Britez Risso now boasts an 8-0 record in singles play this spring and is currently ranked No. 25 in the nation.
“We came out here, we know they are a tough team, but we just came out to compete, and we wanted to win on every court. That was the mentality, and we were there,” Britez Risso said.
On some courts, the Lady Vols felt pushback from the Wildcats, who would not go away easily. On Court 4, Mattioli easily won her first set 6-0 over Jadue. However, Jadue jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set and was leading 5-1 at one point. Mattioli fought back, and when the singles play ended, she was trailing 5-4 and was just one game away from tying it 5-5.
“I knew it was going to be a battle. She started playing very well in the second set. I kept playing well, but she was better than me in that set,” Mattioli said. “But I was just motivated not to lose that set and not get in a hole early.”
While Friday’s win looked easy for the Lady Vols, they faced challenges at the end of nonconference play—experiences the team will need as it faces a difficult SEC schedule. In the ITA tournament, the team lost to No. 5 LSU 4-0, and defeated No. 15 Virginia 4-2 and No. 8 Oklahoma State 4-3. Tennessee will face LSU again at the end of the regular season.
“To be able to have those matches early in February, prior to going out and competing in the SEC, gives us a big advantage,” Ojeda said. “I think we had eight SEC teams at the ITA tournament … it will prove to be advantageous for all of us.”
Up Next: The Lady Vols will embark on their first SEC road trip of the season this upcoming week, starting in Starkville against Mississippi State on Thursday and wrapping up in Tuscaloosa against Alabama on Saturday.