COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 23 Vanderbilt women’s tennis team dropped to 2-4 in SEC play after its 4-1 loss to No. 34 South Carolina on Sunday.
The Dores went to battle on all three doubles courts. Celia-Belle Mohr and Marcella Cruz finished first with their 6-3 victory on Court 2, putting Vanderbilt in position to clinch the doubles point. On Court 3, Anessa Lee and Bridget Stammel came back from a 4-1 deficit to win their match 7-5, giving the team the advantage heading into singles. While Court 1 did not finish its match, Anna Ross and Holly Staff traded leads with South Carolina’s Ayana Akli and Allie Gretkowski to end with a 6-6 tie.
Both teams came out strong in singles play, with three of the first sets being decided in a tiebreak and all but two matches going into three sets. Ultimately, the Dores were unable to pick up points on the singles courts.
Singles
No. 7 Ayana Akli (South Carolina) def. No. 48 Celia-Belle Mohr 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 7-5
No. 14 Sarah Hamner (South Carolina) def. No. 80 Anna Ross 6-3, 6-4
Gracie Mulville (South Carolina) def. No. 60 Bridget Stammel 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, 6-2
No. 111 Staff (Vandy) vs. Misa Malkin 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 2-4 unfinished
Elise Mills (South Carolina) def. No. 113 Anessa Lee 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
Amy Stevens (Vandy) vs. McKenna Schaefbauer 5-7, 7-5, 3-4 unfinished
Doubles
Ross/Staff (Vandy) vs. Akli/Gretkowski 6-6 (5-4), unfinished
Mohr/Cruz (Vandy) def. Hamner/Mulville 6-3
Lee/Stammel (Vandy) def. Malkin/Mills 7-5
Vanderbilt will return to play on Friday, March 24, at Arkansas and on Sunday, March 26, at Missouri.
