STILLWATER, Okla. – The 16th-seeded Tennessee women’s tennis team ended top-ranked Oklahoma State’s 29-match winning streak, securing a 4-2 victory to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 2010 on Saturday night at Greenwood Tennis Center.
The historic win snapped the Cowgirls’ longest winning streak in program history, giving them their first defeat since May 6, 2023. The Lady Volunteers punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for the third time in program history and did so by defeating a top-ranked seed in postseason for the first time.
“I am incredibly proud and excited for this group,” head coach Alison Ojeda said. “We have been telling this team all semester, there is something special about you. It is not the tennis that is going to separate us. It is our heart and our desire to come together in big moments. That’s what you saw against Duke, and that is what you saw today and you will see it again on Friday. Win or lose, you allow yourself to perform at a higher level when you get to that place together as a team. I couldn’t be more excited.”
Tennessee (21-7, 9-4 SEC) played a tough doubles point but it was not enough to defeat Oklahoma State (29-1, 16-0 Big 12). The pair of Esther Adeshina and Alana Wolfberg produced the only doubles victory, downing Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez, 6-3. The No. 11-ranked tandem of Sofia Cabezas and Elza Tomase lost in a 4-6 battle versus the No. three-ranked partnering of Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru. Catherine Aulia and Lauren Anzalotta also fell 4-6 to Safiya Carrington and Kristinia Novak.
After falling 1-0, the Lady Vols shifted the momentum and rallied to uplift the score. Wolfberg was the first to claim a victory, with her opponent retiring due to a medical forfeit on court three. Aulia tallied a 6-4, 6-1 victory against No. 72 Safiya Carrington. Adeshina retired Kristina Novak in 6-4, 6-3 fashion, giving Novak her only loss of the season.
“It means everything, and we love fighting for each other,” Adeshina said. “We all believe in each other. Last year I remember Alison (Ojeda) saying that whenever we played top teams, we thought we had a chance, but we didn’t expect to win. I think today and all season we have expected to win these matches. That is what happened today.”
No. 14 Cabezas then clinched the match by knocking off No. 18 Anastasiya Komar in a thriller after losing the first set. She battled back and took it in a tiebreaker, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Tennessee Athletics…