Leyla Britez Risso strolled onto the No. 1 Court, bouquet in hand, and embraced her head coach of four years, Alison Ojeda.
The senior was being honored before Thursday’s match against Ole Miss, the penultimate regular season contest of her career.
“When she and her family were walking on the court, the thing that I shared with her when I hugged her was simply, ‘I need you to understand just how much you mean to our tennis program,’” Ojeda said.
The embrace summed up four years, over 50 singles and doubles victories, a Final Four and Elite Eight appearance and so much more for the Asuncion, Paraguay, native and her head coach.
“She’s been helping me through everything these four years,” Britez Risso said. “She’s taught me so much, taught me a lot of lessons and I’m extremely grateful that I have been a part of this program and that I have been coached by her.”
But when the ceremonies ended, and the match began, Britez Risso turned from sentimental to the fierce competitor she’s been all season. She claimed a 6-1 doubles victory with fellow senior Catherine Aulia, then grabbed the third point of the dual with a 6-1, 7-5 singles win.
Britez Risso is now 15-1 in singles during the dual slate, dominating a stacked SEC field as she has rotated between Court 2 and Court 3 throughout the season.
“A lot of confidence, a lot of discipline,” Britez Risso said. “Also, trusting myself on court and knowing what I want to do each time. Even though, sometimes, I’m not playing my best tennis, or I might be struggling mentally, just fighting through it all.”
It’s hard to say where Tennessee would be without Britez Risso holding it down. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Lady Vols, as they sit at 7-7 in the SEC entering the final match of the regular season. The rest of the team outside of Britez Risso is a combined 35-37 in singles this spring, but the senior is more than willing to be the bedrock for her teammates.
“She’s been rock solid, and then if there’s any uncertainty on any other court, they can turn to Leyla, look at her and kind of get a little bit of confidence from her,” Ojeda said.
But the path to this stellar season wasn’t easy for the senior. Britez Risso had to be patient and develop under Ojeda’s proven system.
“What’s interesting is, her freshman year, she didn’t play,” Ojeda said. “She watched everybody from the sideline, and a lot of times you get players after that first season, they come in and they want to transfer. But Leyla said, ‘I want to be in the lineup. How do I do it?’ That was her mindset, and that tells you a lot about her determination.”
Over the following seasons, Britez Risso put in the work. She found opportunities in key moments in Tennessee’s run to the Final Four in 2024 before becoming a steady member of the lineup in 2025. All the while, she never lost that determination.
“Now in her senior year, you’re seeing that same hunger and desire but with a better version of who she is as a tennis player,” Ojeda said.
Britez Risso showed a better version of herself on Thursday. For most of the season, Britez Risso has been playing on Court 3, but Ojeda changed things up against the Rebels, slotting Britez Risso at Court 2 and fellow senior Vanesa Suarez at Court 3.
“A couple days ago, I told Leyla and Vanesa that we were going to switch their spots, and both of them just said, ‘OK, whatever we need to do for the team,’” Ojeda said. “So I’m really proud of the way they handled that, just going out and competing hard.”
Britez Risso faced little resistance against Ole Miss’s Alice Soulie in the first set, winning 6-1. But in the second set, she found herself down 5-4 and needed to tap into her signature competitive fire.
“I think I was really pissed today,” Britez Risso said with a laugh. “I was trying to manage my emotions, but I kind of just went for it and trusted my game, and, honestly, that’s what helped.”
That was all it took. The senior rattled off three straight games to put Tennessee up 3-1 before Maeve Thornton clinched a victory for the Lady Vols.
“So excited for Leyla,” Ojeda said. “The kid is just tough as nails.”
Now, as she prepares to enter postseason play for the final time with her teammates, Britez Risso’s confidence is just as high.
“I know we have been struggling a little bit, but this team has not gotten to its best point yet,” Britez Risso said. “We still have so much more to give, and we’re going to show it in the next couple matches, and, honestly, whatever we have for the season left.”
As Ojeda reflects this weekend on what her three seniors have meant to the Lady Vols program, the way she describes Britez Risso’s growth as a player and a person is simple but profound.
“Leyla’s just learned how to be a winner,” Ojeda said.
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Leyla Britez Risso a ‘rock solid’ foundation for Lady Vols tennis amid rollercoaster season – The Daily Beacon
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