STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 16 Vanderbilt women’s tennis kept the momentum rolling, extending its win streak to three with a 5-2 win over Mississippi State at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Friday.
The Bulldogs struck first in doubles, picking up wins at their No. 1 and No. 2 positions. It was the fifth doubles point Mississippi State (12-5, 1-5 SEC) had claimed in six total SEC contests. The momentum continued to swing the way of the home team, as the Bulldogs quickly took two first set leads. From there, Vanderbilt (14-4, 4-2 SEC) regained its composure and began to chip away. Sophomore Sophia Webster evened the score 1-1 with a 6-3, 6-3 takedown of Mia Robinson at Court 6. No. 42 senior Bridget Stammel generated the first advantage of the match for the Commodores after downing Gianna Oboniye 7-5, 6-3.
With the lead in hand, the black and gold never looked back. No. 85 ranked freshman Mia Yamakita put the Dores up 3-1 behind a 6-4, 7-5 victory at the No. 5 position. It was Vanderbilt’s other freshman in the lineup, Erin Pearce, to seal the team win, sinking Carolina Troiano 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Vandy produced its fifth point at Court 2 after No. 21 junior Valeria Ray won by retirement.
Ray improved her singles win streak to three with the victory. The Commodores hold firm at fifth in the conference standings after the conclusion of Friday’s matches. Vandy has now won three in a row, one of just four SEC teams currently on a winning stretch of three or more.
No. 16 Vanderbilt continues its road trip on Sunday from Tuscaloosa, as the Commodores pay a visit to Alabama (11-3, 3-3 SEC) with first serve expected at 1 p.m. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 16 Vanderbilt 5, No. 46 Mississippi State 2
Doubles
1. No. 71 Di Genova/Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz [Mississippi State] def. Trinetra Vijayakumar/Webster [Vanderbilt] 6-2
2. Oboniye/Athina Pitta [Mississippi State] def. No. 16 Ray/Stammel [Vanderbilt] 6-1
3. No. 88 Pearce/Yamakita [Vanderbilt] def. Emma Cohen/Thessy Ntondele Zinga [Mississippi State] 6-3
Singles
1. No. 42 Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. Oboniye [Mississippi State] 7-5, 6-3
2. No. 21 Ray [Vanderbilt] def. Kempenaers-Pocz [Mississippi State] 3-6, 6-3, 3-2, retired
3. Ntondele Zinga [Mississippi State] def. Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] 7-5, 3-6, 7-5
4. No. 85 Yamakita [Vanderbilt] def. Di Genova [Mississippi State] 6-4, 7-5
5. Pearce [Vanderbilt] def. Troiano [Mississippi State] 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
6. Webster [Vanderbilt] def. Robinson [Mississippi State] 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,1,4,5,2,3)
