NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The win streak continued for No. 12 Vanderbilt women’s tennis, as the Commodores netted their fifth straight victory, 5-2, over Ole Miss at the Lummis Family Tennis Center on Thursday.
Vanderbilt 16-4 (6-2 SEC) secured its second straight doubles point with wins at its No. 1 and No. 2 positions. The freshman duo of Erin Pearce and Mia Yamakita got the ball rolling for the Dores with a 6-2 win over Riley Crowder and Alice Soulie. No. 25 junior Valeria Ray and graduate Bridget Stammel followed, notching their first ranked win of the spring season at the top position, 7-5, versus No. 23 Andrea Nova and Emily Welker.
The Commodores entered Thursday 16-2 after claiming the opening point, and that trend continued against Ole Miss (7-7, 2-6 SEC). No. 25 Ray set the tone for the black and gold to begin singles play, swiftly taking care of Soulie 6-3, 6-0. Facing No. 15 Welker, No. 33 Stammel fell behind early as her Rebel counterpart took a 3-0 lead and eventually pushed it to a 5-2 advantage. Stammel dug in at Court 1, piecing together five consecutive games to rally for a 7-5 first set win. The next frame went back and forth between the two, with neither player moving ahead by more than a game. Stammel held strong after the set went to a 6-6 tiebreaker, and ultimately sealed the match win behind a 7-5 tiebreak score. The senior claimed six total break points in the match.
Ole Miss began to hang around trailing 3-0. The Rebels picked up their first victory of the day at No. 3 singles from Brooklyn Olson. Each remaining court went to a third set as Vanderbilt looked for its final point. It was sophomore Trinetra Vijayakumar to deliver it for the Dores, fending off Nova 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. Courts 5 and 6 were played out after Vijayakumar’s win, with Vandy and Ole Miss splitting the final two matches. Sophomore Sophia Webster generated the final point of the day for the Commodores after sinking Ichino Horikawa 7-6 (2), 5-7, 1-0 (10-6).
Vanderbilt’s five straight wins, all of which have come in SEC play, marks its longest conference streak since 2019. And at 16-4, the Dores are off to their best start since 2018, in which the team finished as a national runner-up. Vandy is one of four teams in the SEC with an active winning stretch of five matches or more.
The black and gold take to the road once more for a top-15 matchup with No. 11 LSU (11-5, 4-4 SEC) on Saturday. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 12 Vanderbilt 5, No. 37 Ole Miss 2
Doubles
1. No. 25 Ray/Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. No. 23 Nova/Welker [Ole Miss] 7-5
2. Pearce/Yamakita [Vanderbilt] def. Crowder/Soulie [Ole Miss] 6-2
3. Olson/Beatrice Stagno [Ole Miss] def. Webster/Sonya Macavei [Vanderbilt] 6-2
Singles
1. No. 33 Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. No. 15 Welker [Ole Miss] 7-5, 7-6 (5)
2. No. 25 Ray [Vanderbilt] def. Soulie [Ole Miss] 6-3, 6-0
3. Olson [Ole Miss] def. No. 93 Yamakita [Vanderbilt] 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
4. Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] def. Nova [Ole Miss] 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
5. Crowder [Ole Miss] def. Pearce [Vanderbilt] 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5)
6. Webster [Vanderbilt] def. Horikawa [Ole Miss] 7-6 (2), 5-7, 1-0 (10-6)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,1,3,4,6,5)
