KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Despite trailing for nearly the entire match, No. 11 Vanderbilt women’s tennis mustered up a 4-3 road comeback over rival No. 12 Tennessee to net a second straight victory over the Volunteers at the Goodfriend Tennis Center on Friday.
“What an absolutely fantastic college tennis match tonight played by both teams,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “This has been an intense and respectful rivalry going back long before Alison [Ojeda] and I played for Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The crowd was spectacular – they were passionate and intense all the way to the last point. That’s the kind of environment that’s so fun to be a part of, even when the cheering is against you.”
Friday’s win is just the second this season for the Commodores when losing the opening point; entering the match, Vanderbilt (17-5, 7-3 SEC) was 1-2 when falling in doubles play. Tennessee (10-6, 5-5 SEC) notched wins at its No. 2 and No. 3 positions to snag the early advantage. The No. 25 duo of junior Valeria Ray and senior Bridget Stammel generated their fourth ranked win as a pair this season, sinking No. 74 Francesca Mattioli and Vanesa Suarez 7-5 at Court 1.
The Volunteers continued to dictate the momentum in singles, moving ahead 2-0 after Mattioli secured a 6-3, 6-4 win over sophomore Trinetra Vijayakumar. The Commodores brought the fight from there. No. 25 Ray got the black and gold on the board at No. 2 singles, fending off Suarez 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Tennessee added a third point at Court 3, but it was again Vanderbilt who produced a response. Freshman Erin Pearce delivered her second ranked win of the season for the Dores, defeating No. 92 Catherina Aulia 6-3, 1-6, 6-4.
Still facing a deficit, No. 33 Stammel evened up the score 3-3 at the top position after taking down No. 59 Katrina Scott 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. With another ranked team victory hanging in the balance, it again came down to No. 6 singles for Vandy, who clinched the match at the same position against No. 1 Georgia. This time up, it was sophomore Sophia Webster to play hero for the Commodores. After dropping the opening set to Audrey Aulia 7-5, Webster sent the match to a third frame behind a 6-1 second set. The two underclassmen went back and forth as the pressure began to mount. Aulia eventually gained control 5-4, and had the opportunity to claim the match at 40-40 with serve. Webster held strong with her back against the wall to break and level the score at 5-5. From there, the sophomore stepped up when her team needed her most, finalizing the Commodore comeback after taking yet another 40-40 deuce point up 6-5 to decide the match.
“This was going to end in heartbreak for one team,” Tsoubanos said. “We both had multiple opportunities to win the doubles point, and each team had at least one match point to win the overall team match; that just doesn’t happen very often. But, there came a point where I was almost at peace with whatever the ending was going to be because of how hard we were playing and how well we competed. And that’s what being in this conference prepares you for: every match is a test, and anyone is capable of beating anyone else on any given day.”
It is the second straight season Vanderbilt has knocked off a top-15 ranked Tennessee team; both matches were decided in the third set of the final match. The Commodores now own four ranked wins against SEC opponents, tied for the second-most by any team in the conference, short only of Georgia. Friday’s 4-3 win boosts Vandy up to sixth in the current SEC standings.
“Today we overcame a deficit after losing the doubles point and really regrouped about as well as we could have to start singles play,” Tsoubanos said. “I think grabbing four of those first sets was a huge boost in morale, but obviously that can be short-lived. Tennessee fought back to equalize in all of those positions, but we did the same on court six. It was really a race to the finish to see who could pull out the three-set matches. I told the team this is definitely up there with one of the most impressive wins I’ve had the pleasure to witness. I am so deeply proud of the way they fought and battled all the way to the end on every single court. This win belongs to them; they earned every bit of it. Bridget, Valeria, Erin and Sophia came through in some really pressure-filled moments. It was an incredible team effort today. We will certainly enjoy this one tonight before getting ready for another road test at Kentucky on Sunday.”
Vanderbilt visits Kentucky (9-10, 1-9 SEC) on Sunday for a noon battle from the Bluegrass State. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 11 Vanderbilt 4, No. 12 Tennessee 3
Doubles
1. No. 25 Ray/Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. No. 74 Mattioli/Suarez [Tennessee] 7-5
2. No. 24 Aulia/Leyla Britez Risso [Tennessee] def. Pearce/Webster [Vanderbilt] 6-3
3. Scott/Maeve Thornton [Tennessee] def. Mia Yamakita/Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] 7-6 (3)
Singles
1. No. 33 Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. No. 59 Scott [Tennessee] 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
2. No. 25 Ray [Vanderbilt] def. Suarez [Tennessee] 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
3. No. 18 Britez Risso [Tennessee] def. No. 93 Yamakita [Vanderbilt] 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
4. Pearce [Vanderbilt] def. No. 92 C. Aulia [Tennessee] 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
5. Mattioli [Tennessee] def. Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] 6-3, 6-4
6. Webster [Vanderbilt] def. A. Aulia [Tennessee] 5-7, 6-1, 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (5,2,3,4,1,6)
