By Loveth 
Lady Vols Gear Up for Showdowns Against Alabama and Mississippi State
The sixth-ranked Tennessee women’s tennis team is set for an exciting weekend at Barksdale Stadium, taking on No. 25 Alabama on Friday at 5 p.m. and No. 64 Mississippi State on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Tennessee is coming off a strong weekend, securing a dominant 6-1 win over No. 70 Arkansas and a hard-fought 4-3 victory against No. 12 Oklahoma. A big highlight? Catherine Aulia hit a career milestone with her 50th doubles win, teaming up with Leyla Britez Risso for a 6-2 win over Arkansas’ No. 82-ranked duo. Both Aulia and Risso were on fire, going a perfect 8-0 in singles and doubles play. Aulia also pulled off her biggest win of the season, edging No. 17 Julia Garcia Ruiz in a thrilling 6-4, 6-7(6), 7-5 battle.
Meanwhile, freshman Francesca Mattioli had a breakout weekend, earning back-to-back singles wins, including her first career victory over a ranked opponent by defeating No. 74 Emma Staker.
A Look at the Competition
Tennessee has been crushing ranked opponents this season, with wins over No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 15 Pepperdine, No. 4 Stanford, and several other top teams.
Alabama comes into the matchup with a 9-6 record and a 3-4 conference standing. Tennessee leads the all-time series 41-18, including a 4-1 win last season in Tuscaloosa.
Mississippi State is 10-7 overall but still searching for a conference win (0-7). The Lady Vols have historically dominated this matchup, holding a 41-11 lead in the series.
Rankings & Records
The latest ITA rankings (March 18) put Tennessee at No. 6 in the country. Several Lady Vols also made the individual rankings:
Singles:
No. 7 Elza Tomase
No. 32 Catherine Aulia
No. 92 Leyla Britez Risso
Doubles:
No. 44 Aulia & Risso
No. 51 Tomase & Aulia
No. 59 Tomase & Elim Yan
On the Alabama side, Petra Sedlackova is ranked No. 75 in singles, while Mississippi State’s Athina Pitta & Gianna Oboniye hold the No. 72 spot in doubles.
Coach Ojeda Nears Milestone
Head coach Alison Ojeda is on the verge of her 200th career win, currently sitting at 199 victories—154 of them with Tennessee. If she reaches the milestone, she’ll join legendary Tennessee coaches Mike Patrick and Sonia Hahn-Patrick in the 200-win club.
Catch the Action
Fans can follow the match live through live stats and live streaming.
Can the Lady Vols keep their hot streak going? We’ll find out this weekend!