Tennessee Lady Volunteers women's tennis

For the Tennessee men's tennis team, see Tennessee Lady Volunteers tennis.
Tennessee Lady Volunteers tennis
Founded1977
UniversityUniversity of Tennessee
Athletic directorDanny White
Head coachAlison Ojeda (8th season)
ConferenceSEC
LocationKnoxville, TN
Home CourtBarksdale Stadium
(Capacity: 2,000)
NicknameLady Volunteers
ColorsOrange and white[1]
   
NCAA Tournament Semifinals
2002, 2024
NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals
2002, 2010, 2024
NCAA Tournament Round of 16
1990, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2023, 2024
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
1989, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
NCAA Tournament appearances
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

The Tennessee Lady Volunteers women's tennis team represents the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville, TN. The program has qualified for 31 NCAA Tournaments, including 20 straight from 1995 to 2014. They are led by former player and current 8th year head coach Alison Ojeda.[2]

Along with all other UT women's sports teams, it used the nickname "Lady Volunteers" (or the short form "Lady Vols") until the 2015–16 school year, when the school dropped the "Lady" prefix from the nicknames of all women's teams except in basketball.[3] In 2017 the university announced the return of the “Lady Volunteer” name.[4]

History

All-time, the Lady Vols have appeared in 30 NCAA tournaments with their best result being a semifinal berth in 2002. This puts them at 4th in the SEC in terms of NCAA appearances behind Florida (40), Georgia (36), and South Carolina (32). Additionally the women's tennis team is one of only 2 programs at Tennessee (the other is women's golf) to never win a conference championship. The Lady Vols have finished 2nd in the SEC Regular Season 5 times (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011), and lost in the final of the SEC Tournament 4 times (2001, 2009, 2010, 2011).

Mike Patrick and Sonia Hahn-Patrick era

Mike Patrick led the Lady Volunteer Tennis program for 30 years, 20 of which where he served as Co-Head Coach with his with Sonia Han-Patrick, before he resigned on November 16, 2016. Patrick was the winningest coach in Lady Vol program history compiling a 473-310 all-time record. Of Patrick's 30 seasons, 23 teams finished the year ranked in the top 25. Patrick's best finish in the NCAA tournament came with a semifinal appearance in 2002. Additionally, the 2001 team achieved the programs first #1 national ranking, and finished 6th in the nation with a 25-4 (10-1 SEC) record. They came within 1 match of an SEC Regular season title following a 4-3 loss to #5 Florida, and subsequently lost the SEC Tournament final to #2 Georgia. Patrick's assistant coach Alison Ojeda, a former All-American at Tennessee, took over the program in 2017.[5][6]

Alison Ojeda era

In Ojeda's first six seasons as head coach, she has guided the Lady Vols to the NCAA Tournament every season but 2020 when the tournament was cancelled.[7]

The 2017 season saw Tennessee finish with their most wins since 2011, posting a 19-12 record, and finishing the season ranked #24 in the ITA rankings. The season ended in the NCAA round of 32 with a 4-1 loss to #15 seed Duke.[8]

The 2018 season began with a 12-0 record, the programs best start in program a history; however, the team struggled in SEC play finishing with a 3-10 conference record. The year ended with an 18-12 mark, and a 4-2 loss to Oregon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.[9]

In Ojeda's third season (2019), Tennessee reached new heights by finishing with their most wins since 2003, and making their third consecutive NCAA tournament. The team finished 4th in the SEC with a 9-4 record, and was ranked #20 in the ITA rankings with a 20-8 record. The run ended with a 4-0 loss in the NCAA second round to #12 seed NC State.[10]

In 2020, Tennessee got off to a 10-3 (1-2 SEC) before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic after their 4-3 match win against Ole Miss.[11]

The 2021 season saw Tennessee finish 5th in the SEC with an 8-5 mark in SEC play. They entered the NCAA Tournament with a 16-8 record after a loss in the SEC tournament semifinal to #3 ranked Georgia. Despite being ranked 15th in the ITA rankings, the Lady Vols were not awarded one of the NCAA Tournament's top 16 seeds, who host the first and second rounds of the tournament. Thus, they travelled to the Charlottesville regional, where the beat James Madison 4-0 in the round of 64, then fell to #14 seed Virginia, in a close match, 4-2. This concluded the 2021 season, and the team's 17-9 campaign.[6]

The 2022 season saw the Lady Vols return to the NCAA tournament for the 5th season in a row (2020 tournament was cancelled), and finish 7th in the conference with a 7-6 record. They advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament via a 4-2 upset of #2 seed and twelfth ranked Auburn. The season concluded with a 16-10 record and a 4-1 loss to #6 NC State in the NCAA round of 32.[12]

Under Ojeda, the 2023 team had their best season in over a decade. Big SEC wins over #17 Vanderbilt (4-3), #8 Auburn (6-1), and #17 Florida (4-1) propelled the Lady Vols a 3rd place SEC finish, their highest since 2013. Tennessee advanced to the semifinals of the SEC tournament for the 3rd year in a row, and hosted an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2011. As the #15 seed, Tennessee defeated Southeast Missouri State (4-0), and Wake Forest (4-1) to advance to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2010. There, they concluded the 21-6 campaign by falling in the College Station Super Regional to #2 Texas A&M 4-1.[13]

Head coaches

Source[14]

# Coach Years Seasons Overall Conference
Won Lost % Won Lost %
1 Mary Jane Ramsey 1977–1978 2 21 17 .553 – – –
2 Mary Ellis Richardson 1978–1981 3 49 14 .778 – – –
3 Frank Ackley 1981–1983 2 46 19 .708 13 5 .722
4 Elizabeth Henderson 1983–1987 4 52 57 .477 8 32 .200
5 Mike Patrick 1988–2016 29 473 310 .604 187 133 .584
6 Sonia Hahn-Patrick 1998–2016 19 314 203 .607 122 95 .562
7 Alison Ojeda 2016-Pres. 7 121 60 .669 43 38 .531
Total 47 762 477 .615 251 208 .547

Yearly Record

Source[14]

Season Coach Record Conference
standing 		Conference
tournament 		ITA
rank 		Postseason
Overall Conference
Independent (AIAW)
1977 Mary Jane Ramsey 7-4 – – – – –
1978 Mary Jane Ramsey 14-13 – – – – –
1979 Mary Ellis Richardson 14-3 – – – – –
1980 Mary Ellis Richardson 16-4 – – – – –
1981 Mary Ellis Richardson 19-7 – – – – –
Southeastern Conference (NCAA)
1982 Frank Ackley 25-7 7-2 4th – – –
1983 Frank Ackley 21-12 6-3 4th – – –
1984 Elizabeth Henderson 9-16 2-9 9th – – –
1985 Elizabeth Henderson 14-14 3-8 6th – – –
1986 Elizabeth Henderson 14-14 1-8 8th – – –
1987 Elizabeth Henderson 15-13 2-7 8th – – –
1988 Mike Patrick 17-8 6-3 5th – 24th –
1989 Mike Patrick 15-7 7-2 3rd – 17th NCAA First Round
1990 Mike Patrick 19-8 6-2 4th Semifinal 12th NCAA Round of 16
1991 Mike Patrick 17-14 5-6 5th Quarterfinal 15th NCAA First Round
1992 Mike Patrick 20-9 8-3 3rd Semifinal 11th NCAA Round of 16
1993 Mike Patrick 13-14 6-5 6th Quarterfinal 21st –
1994 Mike Patrick 6-16 3-8 9th First Round 39th –
1995 Mike Patrick 16-8 8-3 3rd Quarterfinal 12th NCAA First Round
1996 Mike Patrick 16-13 8-3 4th Quarterfinal 17th NCAA Second Round
1997 Mike Patrick 20-10 8-3 4th Semifinal 13th NCAA Round of 16
1998 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 20-11 6-5 6th Semifinal 15th NCAA Round of 16
1999 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 18-8 5-6 7th Quarterfinal 14th NCAA Round of 16
2000 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 20-12 7-4 5th Semifinal 14th NCAA Round of 16
2001 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 25-4 10-1 2nd Final 6th NCAA Round of 16
2002 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 21-10 7-4 5th Quarterfinal 12th NCAA Semifinal
2003 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 22-7 9-2 T-2nd Semifinal 10th NCAA Round of 16
2004 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 15-14 7-4 4th Quarterfinal 19th NCAA Round of 16
2005 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 15-9 7-4 T-4th Quarterfinal 18th NCAA Second Round
2006 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 12-13 6-5 5th Semifinal 32nd NCAA First Round
2007 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 14-11 6-5 T-5th Semifinal 23rd NCAA Second Round
2008 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 15-10 6-5 4th Quarterfinal 24th NCAA Second Round
2009 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 18-7 8-3 2nd Final 10th NCAA Second Round
2010 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 19-9 8-3 2nd Final 13th NCAA Quarterfinal
2011 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 20-8 9-2 2nd Final 17th NCAA Second Round
2012 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 15-13 4-7 5th Quarterfinal 24th NCAA Second Round
2013 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 13-12 7-6 3rd Quarterfinal 31st NCAA Second Round
2014 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 13-13 6-7 6th Second Round 34th NCAA First Round
2015 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 11-15 3-10 13th First Round 61st –
2016 Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick 8-17 1-12 13th First Round – –
2017 Alison Ojeda 19-12 4-9 11th Second Round 24th NCAA Second Round
2018 Alison Ojeda 18-12 3-10 12th Second Round 40th NCAA First Round
2019 Alison Ojeda 20-8 9-4 4th Quarterfinal 22nd NCAA Second Round
2020 Alison Ojeda 10-3 1-2 – – – Postseason not held (COVID-19)
2021 Alison Ojeda 17-9 8-5 5th Semifinal 18th NCAA Second Round
2022 Alison Ojeda 16-10 7-6 7th Semifinal 24th NCAA Second Round
2023 Alison Ojeda 21-6 11-2 3rd Semifinal 14th NCAA Round of 16
Total 762–477 SEC: 251-208 30 NCAA Appearances

NCAA Tournament Results

In the NCAA Tournament, Tennessee holds a 37-30 record. In the first two rounds of regional matches hosted in Knoxville, the Lady Vols have a 17-2 record, compared with a 32-20 record at other regional sites. In the Round of 16 and beyond, the team is 3-10.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1989 First Round #15 San Diego L 7-2
1990 #10 Round of 16 #7 USC L 7-2
1991 First Round #15 San Diego St L 5-1
1992 #13 Round of 16 #4 Georgia L 5-0
1995 #16 First Round LSU L 5-3
1996 Regional QF
Regional SF		 Auburn
#14 Georgia		 W 5-0
L 5-3
1997 #12 Regional QF
Regional SF
Regional Final
Round of 16		 Baylor
Houston
LSU
#5 UCLA		 W 5-1
W 5-0
W 5-2
L 5-0
1998 #15 Regional QF
Regional SF
Regional Final
Round of 16		 Clemson
South Alabama
Vanderbilt
#2 Stanford		 W 5-0
W 5-3
W 5-4
L 6-0
1999 #15 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16		 Tennessee Tech
Wisconsin
#2 Stanford		 W 5-0
W 5-2
L 5-1
2000 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16		 Princeton
#14 William & Mary
#3 Wake Forest		 W 5-1
W 5-3
L 5-0
2001 #5 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16		 Furman
Washington State
#12 Washington		 W 4-0
W 4-0
L 4-3
2002 #13 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		 Marshall
Alabama
#4 Vanderbilt
VCU
#1 Florida		 W 4-0
W 4-0
W 4-2
W 4-3
L 4-1
2003 #7 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16		 Murray State
Virginia
#10 Vanderbilt		 W 4-0
W 4-1
L 4-3
2004 #14 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16		 Wisconsin
North Carolina
#3 Vanderbilt		 W 4-3
W 4-3
L 4-1
2005 First Round
Second Round		 Boston U
#16 Harvard		 W 4-0
L 4-1
2006 First Round Penn L 4-2
2007 First Round
Second Round		 Tulsa
#16 Vanderbilt		 W 4-0
L 4-0
2008 First Round
Second Round		 Illinois
#3 Georgia Tech		 W 4-0
L 4-0
2009 #10 First Round
Second Round		 East Tennessee State
South Carolina		 W 4-0
L 4-3
2010 #13 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16
Quarterfinals		 Winthrop
Vanderbilt
#4 Michigan
#5 Notre Dame		 W 4-0
W 4-1
W 4-0
L 4-2
2011 #13 First Round
Second Round		 College of Charleston
Vanderbilt		 W 4-1
L 4-3
2012 First Round
Second Round		 VCU
#14 Virginia		 W 4-0
L 4-1
2013 First Round
Second Round		 VCU
#2 North Carolina		 W 4-0
L 4-1
2014 First Round Georgia State L 4-3
2017 First Round
Second Round		 Winthrop
#15 Duke		 W 4-1
L 4-1
2018 First Round Oregon L 4-2
2019 First Round
Second Round		 Furman
#12 NC State		 W 4-0
L 4-0
2021 First Round
Second Round		 James Madison
#14 Virginia		 W 4-0
L 4-2
2022 First Round
Second Round		 VCU
#6 NC State		 W 4-1
L 4-1
2023 #15 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16		 SE Missouri State
Wake Forest
#2 Texas A&M		 W 4-0
W 4-1
L 4-1
2024 #16 First Round
Second Round
Round of 16
Quarterfinals
Semifinals		 Murray State
Duke
#1 Oklahoma State
#8 UCLA
#13 Texas A&M		 W 4-0
W 4-0
W 4-2
W 4-3
L 4-1

See also

References

  1. ^ "General Information". UTSports.com. June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Alison Ojeda - Head Coach - Staff Directory". Utsports.com.
  3. ^ Megargee, Steve (June 26, 2015). "Tennessee set to make move to a lone 'Lady Vols' team". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  4. ^ "University of Tennessee announces return of Lady Vols logo for all sports". Knoxnews.com.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2022-07-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2022-07-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Alison Ojeda - Women's Tennis Coach". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  8. ^ "2016-17 Women's Tennis Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  9. ^ "2017-18 Women's Tennis Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  10. ^ "2018-19 Women's Tennis Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  11. ^ "2019-20 Women's Tennis Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  12. ^ "2021-22 Women's Tennis Schedule". Utsports.com.
  13. ^ "2022-23 Women's Tennis Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  14. ^ a b "2021-22 Record Book" (PDF). s3.amazonaws.com. Retrieved 2022-07-28.