The University of Tennessee women’s tennis team lost to the No. 15-seeded Duke Blue Devils on May 2, ending their season with a 4-1 defeat in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This result marks the end of a competitive season for Tennessee, which finished with a record of 14-10 overall and an 8-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play. The loss also drops the Lady Volunteers’ all-time record in NCAA Tournament regional competition to 36-21 and marks their seventh consecutive appearance in the Round of 32, tying for the second-longest streak in program history.
In doubles action, Vanesa Suarez and Francesca Mattioli gave Tennessee an early advantage by winning quickly on court one. However, Duke responded by securing victories on courts three and two to claim the doubles point. In singles play, Katrina Scott was first off for Tennessee with a strong win over Irina Balus, finishing her first collegiate season with nine wins out of thirteen matches—all seven ranked wins coming in straight sets.
Duke regained momentum as Eleana Yu defeated Mattioli on court five and Liv Hovde overcame Leyla Britez Risso despite Britez Risso’s dominant start. Claire An then clinched victory for Duke over Catherine Aulia on court two.
The Lady Vols will look ahead to build upon this season’s achievements as they continue their streak of tournament appearances.
