KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 19 Tennessee women’s tennis is slated to host ETSU on Saturday at 1 p.m. The two teams will meet for the 16th time in program history, including the 11th time on Rocky Top.
The Lady Volunteers (5-2) are coming off a tough 4-3 loss against No. 7 NC State last Saturday. Despite the defeat, Tennessee took the doubles point and landed four ranked wins. No. 92 Sofia Cabezas defeated No. 3 Amelia Rajecki in a three-set thriller, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5. Lauren Anzalotta also took down No. 116 Maddy Zampardo, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-3.
In doubles, the Big Orange defeated two pairs of ranked duos. Cabezas and Tomase downed No. 9 Zyryanova and Abrams, 7-5, along with Anzalotta and Aulia beating No. 52 Broadfoot and Rencheli, 6-4.
For her performance against the Wolfpack, Senior Cabezas earned SEC Player of the Week honors on Wednesday afternoon after claiming a top-five win in singles and a top-10 victory in doubles. She is now 5-1 in singles dual action and 4-1 in doubles. The senior opened up the season winning four singles matches in a row. Two of those singles bouts have culminated in a triumph over a ranked opponent.
Tennessee secured five straight wins to start the season, defeating Furman, Chattanooga, Wake Forest, Bellarmine and No. 25 Vanderbilt. It marked the first time since 2018 that the team opened a season with a 5-0 start, including the third time in the Alison Ojeda era.
Milestones in Doubles:
Over the weekend, Anzalotta and Elza Tomase both notched their 40th career doubles win. Anzalotta and partner Catherina Aulia took down No. 52 Gabriella Broadfoot and Abigail Rencheli in a 6-4 win, while Tomase and Cabezas fended off No. 9 Sophie Abrams and Anna Zyryanova, 7-5.
Lady Vols in the Rankings:
In the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, the third release of 2024, Tennessee took the No. 19 spot in the poll. Southeastern Conference preseason poll voting also selected the team to finish in a tie for sixth place, alongside South Carolina. The following members of the team were ranked in the first spring ITA individual poll posted on Feb. 7, 2024:
Singles
Sofia Cabezas No. 81
Catherine Aulia No. 83
Alana Wolfberg No. 94
Lauren Anzalotta No. 125
Doubles
Esther Adeshina and Sofia Cabezas No. 18
Sofia Cabezas and Elza Tomase No. 29
Alana Wolfberg and Esther Adeshina No. 53
Scouting the Buccaneers:
Tennessee leads ETSU in the all-time series, 15-0, and is 10-0 at home. The last…
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