Lady Vols Complete Comeback, Take Down LSU, 4-3

BATON ROUGE, La. – In thrilling come-from-behind fashion, the 14th-ranked Tennessee women’s tennis team defeated LSU, 4-3, Sunday afternoon at LSU Tennis Complex behind masterful performances on Courts 1 and 2 in singles.

Tennessee (14-4, 7-2 SEC) found itself having to come from behind in the match after trailing early, but the Lady Vols never lost their cool. With a 3-2 deficit, Elza Tomase and Rebeka Mertena both came up incredibly clutch, fighting through tough second sets to keep the match going and force a third frame.

Tomase’s battle was especially impressive, she needed a tiebreak to force a third set on the top court. Once in the make-or-break set, the sophomore took command early, jumping out to a quick 5-1 lead. This allowed her to stave off a rally from #27 Anastasiya Komar, ultimately winning the set, 7-6(4).

Once in the third, both players showed the determination and grit needed to win. Both Lady Vols earned breaks early in the set and dominated when on serve, culminating in a win first for Tomase, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2, then for Mertena, who polished off the clinch, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“Massive effort by our team to fight our way out of a huge hole today,” head coach Alison Ojeda said. “Daria and Lauren did a great job getting off the court quickly, and that proved to be very helpful because it allowed some of our teammates to really energize one another. This was a huge team win and I’m very proud of the way we fought with all our hearts today.”

Lauren Anzalotta was the first Lady Vol to get on the board. She provided the first point after Tennessee dropped the doubles point, winning 6-4, 6-2, over Noor Carrington on Court 6. She was followed by Daria Kuczer who was utterly dominant in the back half of her match against Nina Geissler. After trailing 1-2 early in the match, Kuczer went on to win 11 of the next 12 games, earning a 6-3, 6-0 victory and providing a shot of momentum for UT, which it would use to earn the win.

“I also want to congratulate Rebeka for accomplishing her 100^th win on the road this weekend,” Ojeda finished saying. “She joins a very elite, and small handful of Lady Vols who have been able to do that in their time at Tennessee.”

Full results from Sunday’s match can be found below.

UP NEXT: Tennessee closes out the home schedule, welcoming Florida and South Carolina to Rocky Top on Friday and Sunday. Sunday’s match against the Gamecocks will be Senior Day for Rebeka Mertena and Daria Kuczer.

#14 Tennessee 4,…