COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 45-ranked junior Bridget Stammel and senior Amy Stevens each picked up their fourth straight singles wins as No. 13 Vanderbilt cruised to a 5-2 road victory over No. 18 South Carolina on Sunday.
“Today was just a tremendous team effort to get another quality SEC road win,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “I’m so proud of the way the team responded and competed after an absolute heartbreaker in Athens on Friday. Conditions were hot and breezy today but we handled that very well.”
Doubles play quickly went the way of the black and gold, who notched wins at their No. 3 and No. 2 doubles positions. Sophomore Valeria Ray and Stammel generated their fifth straight victory, downing Olympe Lancelot and Bella Larsson 6-4. Junior Sonya Macavei and Stevens clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 defeat of Lauren Friedman and Misa Malkin.
The Dores split first sets across the board with the Gamecocks at three apiece. Freshman Trinetra Vijayakumar pulled out a 7-6 (4) opener against Larsson, in which she trailed 4-1 in the tiebreaker. Stevens captured a swift 6-1, 6-2 win against Friedman at No. 6 singles. Stammel followed soon after with 6-3, 6-1 victory over Lancelot to give Vanderbilt a 3-0 lead.
Vijayakumar finished off Larsson 7-6 (4), 6-2 to seal the match win at No. 5 singles. After falling in the first set, freshman Sophia Webster clawed back against No. 97 Malkin, tying the score behind a 7-5 bounce back in the second frame. The forehand became too much for Malkin to handle, and Webster completed the 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 comeback for the Dores’ final point of the day.
“South Carolina had a fantastic crowd out to honor their seniors, so it was a great atmosphere for a college tennis match,” Tsoubanos said. “We’re thrilled to get the win in Columbia. It’ll be nice to finish the regular season back at home and encourage the Vandy faithful to come out and support our squad on against Kentucky and senior day against Tennessee.”
It is the second time in the last two weeks Vanderbilt has faltered at its top two singles positions; both matches finished as 5-2 wins. The Dores pick up just the second victory against the Gamecocks in the last eight matchups and end a two-match losing streak in the series. Vandy is now 5-4 against top-25 opponents this season.
No. 13 Vanderbilt (16-5, 9-4 SEC) finishes off the season with two matches at home. The Dores host No. 46 Kentucky (10-11, 4-9 SEC) on Friday with play set to begin at 2 p.m. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 13 Vanderbilt 5, No. 18 South Carolina 2
Doubles
1. No. 31 Sarah Hamner/Kaitlyn Carnicella (South Carolina) vs. No. 14 Célia-Belle Mohr/Webster (Vanderbilt) 5-5, unfinished
2. Stammel/Ray (Vanderbilt) def. Lancelot/Larsson (South Carolina) 6-4
3. Stevens/Macavei (Vanderbilt) def. Friedman/Malkin (South Carolina) 6-2
Singles
1. No. 17 Hamner (South Carolina) def. No. 16 Mohr (Vanderbilt) 7-5, 6-1
2. No. 59 Carnicella (South Carolina) def. No. 78 Ray (Vanderbilt) 6-4, 7-6 (2)
3. No. 45 Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Lancelot (South Carolina) 6-3, 6-1
4. Webster (Vanderbilt) def. No. 97 Malkin (South Carolina) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
5. Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) def. Larsson (South Carolina) 7-6 (4), 6-2
6. Stevens (Vanderbilt) def. Friedman (South Carolina) 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,3,1,5,2,4)
