Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced Thursday that Tennessee women’s tennis coach Alison Ojeda has agreed to a contract extension through June 30, 2029, to remain on Rocky Top.
“Our women’s tennis program has continued to show phenomenal growth under Alison’s leadership,” White said. “It’s remarkable that in our history, we have been to two Final Fours – the first with Alison as a player and the most recent historic run last season as a coach – she really is the embodiment of a Lady Vol!”
Ojeda, the 2024 National ITA Wilson Coach of the Year, has elevated the women’s tennis program to unprecedented levels of success. The Lady Volunteers have finished six of the last seven full seasons inside the ITA top 25 and have made the NCAA Team Championship every year under her watch, with the exception of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The Lady Vols’ final ranking of No. 12 in 2024 marked their highest finish since 2010.
“I feel both honored and lucky to be working for such and an incredible chancellor and athletic director,” Ojeda remarked. “My family, staff and program are so thankful to Donde Plowman, Danny White and Cam Walker for their unmatched support and for the continued opportunity to coach our Lady Volunteer tennis team. We take great pride in our program and make sure to do the best job we can at recruiting student-athletes who will represent the University of Tennessee well.”
During the 2024 season, Ojeda guided her team to 22 victories, the second straight year the team set a new top mark of her tenure. Tennessee beat 12 ranked opponents, including seven in the top 25, notably defeating No. 1 Oklahoma State. The Lady Vols have now produced back-to-back seasons of at least 21 victories for the first time since 2002-03. This is the winningest two-year stretch for the program since those two campaigns.
Under Ojeda’s leadership, the Lady Vols ended No. 1 Oklahoma State’s 29-match winning streak with a 4-2 victory, advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 2010. They continued their impressive performance by defeating No. 8 UCLA and reaching the Final Four for the second time in program history, matching the achievement of the 2002 team. At No. 16 nationally, Tennessee became the lowest-seeded team ever to reach the NCAA semifinals in the 64-team era, which dates back to 1999.
“Every day is a great day to be on Rocky Top,” Ojeda added. “I have been feeling that since I was an 18-year-old freshman at UT back in 2002 and 22 years later, I feel it more than ever. Winning matters. Not just on the scoreboard, but every day in life too.”
Beyond her achievements on the court, Ojeda has shown remarkable ability in developing student-athletes into leaders, both academically and in the community. Last season, Esther Adeshina was honored as the recipient of the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award. In the classroom, Ojeda’s student-athletes have maintained a perfect Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for the past eight years.
Throughout her career on Rocky Top, Ojeda has developed four All-Americans (two in 2024), as well as 15 All-SEC, All-SEC Newcomer or SEC All-Freshman honorees (three in 2024). She has also earned the second National ITA Wilson Coach award in program history (2024) and the third SEC Coach of the Year award in program history (2023). Ojeda is a four-time recipient of the ITA Ohio Valley Region Coach of the Year.
The 2024-25 campaign will mark Ojeda’s ninth season as the head coach at her alma mater.
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