Tennessee Lady Volunteers women's tennis explained

Tennessee Lady Volunteers tennis
University:University of Tennessee
Conference:Southeastern Conference
Conference Short:SEC
Athletic Director:Danny White
Founded:1977
City:Knoxville
Stateabb:TN
State:Tennessee
Coach:Alison Ojeda
Tenure:8th
Stadium:Barksdale Stadium
Capacity:2,000
Nickname:Lady Volunteers
Ncaasemifinals:2002, 2024
Ncaaquarterfinals:2002, 2010, 2024
Ncaaroundof16:1990, 1992, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2023, 2024
Ncaaroundof32:1989, 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
Ncaatourneys: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.[1]

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.[2] In 2017 the university announced the return of the “Lady Volunteer” name.[3]

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.[4] [5]

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.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

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.

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.[11]

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.[12]

Head coaches

Source[13]

CoachYearsSeasonsOverallConference
WonLost%WonLost%
1Mary Jane Ramsey1977–197822117.553
2Mary Ellis Richardson1978–198134914.778
3Frank Ackley1981–198324619.708135.722
4Elizabeth Henderson1983–198745257.477832.200
5Mike Patrick1988–201629473310.604187133.584
6Sonia Hahn-Patrick1998–201619314203.60712295.562
7Alison Ojeda2016-Pres.712160.6694338.531
Total47762477.615251208.547

Yearly Record

Source[13]

SeasonCoachRecordConference
standing
Conference
tournament
ITA
rank
Postseason
OverallConference
Independent (AIAW)
1977Mary Jane Ramsey7-4
1978Mary Jane Ramsey14-13
1979Mary Ellis Richardson14-3
1980Mary Ellis Richardson16-4
1981Mary Ellis Richardson19-7
Southeastern Conference (NCAA)
1982Frank Ackley25-77-24th
1983Frank Ackley21-126-34th
1984Elizabeth Henderson9-162-99th
1985Elizabeth Henderson14-143-86th
1986Elizabeth Henderson14-141-88th
1987Elizabeth Henderson15-132-78th
1988Mike Patrick17-86-35th24th
1989Mike Patrick15-77-23rd17thNCAA First Round
1990Mike Patrick19-86-24thSemifinal12thNCAA Round of 16
1991Mike Patrick17-145-65thQuarterfinal15thNCAA First Round
1992Mike Patrick20-98-33rdSemifinal11thNCAA Round of 16
1993Mike Patrick13-146-56thQuarterfinal21st
1994Mike Patrick6-163-89thFirst Round39th
1995Mike Patrick16-88-33rdQuarterfinal12thNCAA First Round
1996Mike Patrick16-138-34thQuarterfinal17thNCAA Second Round
1997Mike Patrick20-108-34thSemifinal13thNCAA Round of 16
1998Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick20-116-56thSemifinal15thNCAA Round of 16
1999Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick18-85-67thQuarterfinal14thNCAA Round of 16
2000Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick20-127-45thSemifinal14thNCAA Round of 16
2001Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick25-410-12ndFinal6thNCAA Round of 16
2002Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick21-107-45thQuarterfinal12th
2003Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick22-79-2T-2ndSemifinal10thNCAA Round of 16
2004Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick15-147-44thQuarterfinal19thNCAA Round of 16
2005Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick15-97-4T-4th Quarterfinal18thNCAA Second Round
2006Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick12-136-55thSemifinal32ndNCAA First Round
2007Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick14-116-5T-5thSemifinal23rdNCAA Second Round
2008Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick15-106-54thQuarterfinal24thNCAA Second Round
2009Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick18-78-32ndFinal10thNCAA Second Round
2010Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick19-98-32ndFinal13thNCAA Quarterfinal
2011Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick20-89-22ndFinal17thNCAA Second Round
2012Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick15-134-75thQuarterfinal24thNCAA Second Round
2013Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick13-127-63rdQuarterfinal31stNCAA Second Round
2014Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick13-136-76thSecond Round34thNCAA First Round
2015Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick11-153-1013thFirst Round61st
2016Mike Patrick & Sonia Hahn-Patrick8-171-1213thFirst Round
2017Alison Ojeda19-124-911thSecond Round24thNCAA Second Round
2018Alison Ojeda18-123-1012thSecond Round40thNCAA First Round
2019Alison Ojeda20-89-44thQuarterfinal22ndNCAA Second Round
2020Alison Ojeda10-31-2Postseason not held (COVID-19)
2021Alison Ojeda17-98-55thSemifinal18thNCAA Second Round
2022Alison Ojeda16-107-67thSemifinal24thNCAA Second Round
2023Alison Ojeda21-611-23rdSemifinal14thNCAA Round of 16
Total762–477SEC: 251-20830 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.

1989 First Round
  1. 15 San Diego
L 7-2
1990
  1. 10
Round of 16
  1. 7 USC
L 7-2
1991 First Round
  1. 15 San Diego St
L 5-1
1992
  1. 13
Round of 16
  1. 4 Georgia
L 5-0
1995
  1. 16
First Round LSU L 5-3
1996 Regional QF
Regional SF
Auburn
#14 Georgia
W 5-0
L 5-3
1997
  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 15
First Round
Second Round
Round of 16
Tennessee Tech
Wisconsin
#2 Stanford
W 5-0
W 5-2
L 5-1
2000First Round
Second Round
Round of 16
Princeton
#14 William & Mary
#3 Wake Forest
W 5-1
W 5-3
L 5-0
2001
  1. 5
First Round
Second Round
Round of 16
Furman
Washington State
#12 Washington
W 4-0
W 4-0
L 4-3
2002
  1. 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
  1. 7
First Round
Second Round
Round of 16
Murray State
Virginia
#10 Vanderbilt
W 4-0
W 4-1
L 4-3
2004
  1. 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
  1. 10
First Round
Second Round
East Tennessee State
South Carolina
W 4-0
L 4-3
2010
  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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
  1. 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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Alison Ojeda - Head Coach - Staff Directory. Utsports.com.
  2. News: Tennessee set to make move to a lone 'Lady Vols' team . Steve . Megargee . . . June 26, 2015 . June 26, 2015.
  3. Web site: University of Tennessee announces return of Lady Vols logo for all sports. Knoxnews.com.
  4. Web site: Archived copy . 2022-07-24 . 2021-06-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624011434/https://sports.usatoday.com/2016/11/21/alison-ojeda-named-tennessee-womens-tennis-coach/ . dead .
  5. Web site: Archived copy . 2022-07-24 . 2021-05-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210509062109/https://utsports.com/sports/2017/6/15/history-w-tennis.aspx/429158/ . dead .
  6. Web site: Alison Ojeda - Women's Tennis Coach . 2022-08-06 . University of Tennessee Athletics . en.
  7. Web site: 2016-17 Women's Tennis Schedule . 2022-08-06 . University of Tennessee Athletics . en.
  8. Web site: 2017-18 Women's Tennis Schedule . 2022-08-06 . University of Tennessee Athletics . en.
  9. Web site: 2018-19 Women's Tennis Schedule . 2022-08-06 . University of Tennessee Athletics . en.
  10. Web site: 2019-20 Women's Tennis Schedule . 2022-08-06 . University of Tennessee Athletics . en.
  11. Web site: 2021-22 Women's Tennis Schedule. Utsports.com.
  12. Web site: 2022-23 Women's Tennis Schedule . 2023-05-14 . University of Tennessee Athletics . en.
  13. Web site: 2021-22 Record Book. PDF. s3.amazonaws.com. 2022-07-28.