Another Top-10 Takedown

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore Valeria Ray returned to the win column while freshman Sophia Webster generated another match clinch to deliver No. 16 Vanderbilt a 5-2 victory over No. 6 LSU on Friday.

“We didn’t start out with a lot of energy,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “That’s something you can control, and fortunately we were still able to pull some of the match points out. You never want to put yourself in that kind of hole emotionally, because the tennis is hard enough as it is. But it was a great, quality win at home today. We competed really well on every single court, which is always the goal.”

Similar to the last top-10 matchup for the Dores, doubles play began as a slow start. No. 14-ranked senior Célia-Belle Mohr and Webster dropped their first match against an unranked opponent since November, falling 6-3 to Kenna Erickson and Anita Sahdiieva. Vanderbilt picked up wins from its bottom two doubles positions to secure the early advantage. Ray and junior Bridget Stammel, who had 16 matches together earlier this season, returned as a duo, picking up the deciding point at No. 2 doubles 6-4 over Cadence Brace and Kinaa Graham.

LSU looked to have regained momentum after claiming first sets at No. 1 and No. 2 singles. The Tigers evened the score after No. 42 Brace upset No. 11 Mohr 6-3, 7-5; it is the first time since April of 2023 that Mohr has dropped three consecutive singles matches. Stammel returned the favor at the No. 3 spot, pulling out a 7-6 (11), 6-3 win over Graham. The match continued to ebb back and forth after Anita Sahdiieva produced a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback against freshman Trinetra Vijayakumar.

At 2-2, Ray’s match against No. 102 Tilwith Di Girolami became even more decisive. The No. 56-ranked sophomore faced an early deficit after dropping the first set 7-5. With her back against the wall, Ray did what she has done all season: find ways to win. Ray outscored Di Girolami 56-38 in the final two sets, including five break points, en route to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 2 singles. Her 28 total singles wins continues to lead the conference.

Webster and senior Amy Stevens were the last two Dores left to secure the match win. Both took first set leads, and Webster never looked back at No. 5 singles. The freshman again clinched versus a top-10 opponent, cruising to a 6-1, 6-2 final over Kenna Erickson. Stevens fended off Indi Patel in the second frame to claim the final point for the Dores, downing her Tiger counterpart 6-2, 6-4.

“It’s really cool, in the dual season, to see different people stepping up and being able to contribute to the four points you need in a dual, and we’ve seen that in the last couple of matches,” Tsoubanos said. “Célia has a tough task every time she goes out, and she’s been competing really hard. It’s just a difficult position; the SEC is brutal. But we’ve had other players step up and contribute wherever they can. It’s been a great learning experience so far for the underclassmen. I think they’re doing a really good job, and it’s nice to have a team win where a bunch of different individuals come through for you.”

“And what a fantastic crowd as well,” Tsoubanos concluded. “It was a beautiful afternoon and a ton of people came out and supported the team. I actually think that helped energize them in the second half of our singles matches. It’s amazing to have that kind of support, and we hope fans will come for our last home weekend to finish out the season.”

No. 15 Vanderbilt (14-4, 7-3 SEC) begins a three-match road trip as the end of the regular season approaches. The Dores travel to Oxford for a Sunday matchup against Ole Miss (11-8, 4-6 SEC) at 1 p.m. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.

No. 16 Vanderbilt 5, No. 6 LSU 2

Doubles
1. Erickson/Sahdiieva (LSU) def. No. 14 Mohr/Webster (Vanderbilt) 6-3
2. Ray/Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Brace/Graham (LSU) 6-4
3. Sonya Macavei/Stevens (Vanderbilt) def. Di Girolami/Gaby Rivera (LSU) 6-4

Singles
1. No. 42 Brace (LSU) def. No. 11 Mohr (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 7-5
2. No. 56 Ray (Vanderbilt) def. No. 102 Di Girolami (LSU) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
3. Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Graham (LSU) 7-6 (13-11), 6-3
4. Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
5. Webster (Vanderbilt) def. Erickson (LSU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Stevens (Vanderbilt) def. Patel (LSU) 6-2, 6-4

Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,3,4,2,5,6)