ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For the first time since 2008, Vanderbilt women’s tennis has knocked off Michigan, as the No. 19 ranked Commodores downed the No. 7 Wolverines 4-2 at the Varsity Tennis Center on Sunday to secure a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.
“It was an incredible tennis match today from start to finish for both teams,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “Obviously it was going end in heartbreak for one team, but we are super excited to be advancing.”
The black and gold again pounced early, capturing their fourth straight doubles point. And although Vanderbilt (4-0) has typically gotten momentum starting from the No. 1 spot, it was the bottom two positions who snagged the opening advantage over Michigan (1-1). The No. 46 ranked freshmen duo of Erin Pearce and Mia Yamakita notched their second dual match win together behind a 6-1 takedown of Reese Miller and Emily Sartz-Lunde. With a back-and-forth battle taking place at Court 1, No. 13 sophomore Valeria Ray and senior Bridget Stammel clinched the doubles point for the Commodores at Court 2, defeating Piper Charney and Gabriella Lindgren 6-3.
Stammel kept the momentum going for Vandy, cruising past No. 85 Bernales 6-1, 6-1 to start singles play. After Yamakita came up short at No. 4 singles, graduate Célia-Belle Mohr provided a response for the Dores with a 6-3, 6-3 victory versus No. 32 Lily Jones, making the match score 3-1. Lindgren gave Michigan its second point after a hard-fought effort was not enough at Court 6 for Pearce, who fell to her Wolverine counterpart 7-6 (5), 6-4.
“We played really solid doubles to get those two wins at No. 2 and No. 3 and put that first point on the board,” Tsoubanos said. “I thought we competed really well and hung in matches as long as we could where we weren’t ahead. We consolidated some leads where we had won first sets, and I think Bridget getting off the court quickly to add that second point was important for momentum. Célia was having a great match with Jones, and being able to pull away there in the second set was huge.”
With two courts remaining, Vanderbilt grabbed control of both matches and never let go. After dropping the first set 7-5 to No. 3 Charney, No. 17 Ray bounced back in the second 6-4 before jumping out to a lead in the final frame. Vijayakumar also held an advantage after going to three sets with Sartz-Lunde at No. 5 singles. But it was Ray to lift the Dores to a win, clinching the match and giving Vanderbilt a 4-2 victory. The 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 takedown of No. 3 Chaney, who is currently the Big Ten’s top ranked singles player, was the highest ranked victory of Ray’s career so far.
“Ultimately we were in a great position with Valeria and Trinetra leading in third sets and both of them having simultaneous match point chances,” Tsoubanos said. “Super proud of V for turning around a very different scoreline from their match in the fall. They all did an incredible job of embracing a big moment. In college tennis, we win and lose as a team, and today it was a complete team effort. I know everyone is super excited about the opportunity to compete at the National Team Indoor Championship in two weeks.”
Vanderbilt now has four top-10 wins across the previous two seasons, with victories over No. 2 Texas A&M, No. 6 LSU, and No. 9 Tennessee last year. Today’s match is the only one of those four to be won on the road. It is just the second home loss for Michigan in the last 46 matches from Ann Arbor; the Wolverines entered Sunday on a 44-1 stretch with their only defeat coming to No. 17 USC on Feb. 18, 2024. The result ends Michigan’s three-year streak of qualifying for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.
More importantly, the Commodores secure qualification into the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, taking place Feb. 6-10 hosted by Northwestern and Illinois. It is the first time since 2023 Vanderbilt has earned a spot. The indoor event showcases 16 of the top women’s Division I teams across a four-day tournament to crown an indoor national champion. The main draw will take place Feb. 6-7 with the semifinals on Feb. 9 and the championship match on Feb. 10
The Commodores return home for a tune up against Northwestern on Feb. 1 before departing to Illinois for the indoor championship. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 19 Vanderbilt 4, No. 7 Michigan 2
Doubles
1. No. 2 Mohr/Sophia Webster [Vanderbilt] vs. No. 43 Bernales/Jones [Michigan] 4-5 abandoned
2. No. 13 Ray/Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. Charney/Lindgren [Michigan] 6-3
3. No. 46 Yamakita/Pearce [Vanderbilt] vs. Miller/Sartz-Lunde [Michigan] 6-1
Singles
1. Mohr [Vanderbilt] def. No. 32 Jones [Michigan] 6-3, 6-3
2. No. 17 Ray [Vanderbilt] def. No. 3 Charney [Michigan] 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
3. No. 33 Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. No. 85 Bernales [Michigan] 6-1, 6-1
4. No. 80 Miller [Michigan] def. No. 36 Yamakita [Vanderbilt] 6-1, 6-2
5. Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] vs. Sartz-Lunde [Michigan] 6-3, 2-6, 6-5 abandoned
6. Lindgren [Michigan] def. Pearce [Vanderbilt] 7-6 (5), 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,4,1,6,2)
