The University of Tennessee women’s tennis team lost to Texas A&M on March 20 at Barksdale Stadium, with the Aggies securing a 4-2 victory. The Lady Vols, ranked No. 18, started strong but were ultimately overtaken by the No. 5 Aggies.
This match was significant as it highlighted the competitiveness within the conference and tested both teams’ abilities against top-ranked opponents.
Head coach Alison Ojeda said, “We’re right there. That’s the biggest takeaway. Knowing we’re right there is a good thing, but at some point, we’ve got to do something about it.” She added, “Our conference is loaded. It’s tough team after tough team after tough team. So we get another opportunity on Sunday. I know, again, we’ll be right there. But, if we want to get to the finish line before our opponent, there are a couple things we need to clean up.”
The Lady Vols claimed an early lead by winning the doubles point with victories from Leyla Britez Risso and Catherine Aulia on court two and Vanesa Suarez and Francesca Mattioli on court one. In singles play, Britez Risso delivered a dominant performance for Tennessee with a straight-set win over Ilinca Amariei.
However, Texas A&M responded by winning four singles matches in total to secure their victory. Notable performances included Lexington Reed’s win over Catherine Aulia and Mia Kupres’ clinching set against Vanessa Suarez.
Looking ahead, Tennessee will travel to Austin for a matchup against the Texas Longhorns on Sunday.
