BATON ROUGE, La. — Vanderbilt women’s tennis looks to Sunday to secure additional NCAA qualifying spots after falling short in singles and doubles on Saturday at the ITA Sectional Championships hosted by LSU.
No. 45 ranked junior Valeria Ray entered a matchup against No. 67 Emily Welker of Ole Miss having won five of her last six matches. With the winner earning a berth into the NCAA Singles Championship, it was Welker who pulled away 6-2, 6-4. The loss does not eliminate Ray, however, as she moves to a playoff with a last opportunity to clinch NCAA qualification. Doubles also did not go in favor of the Dores; Florida’s No. 45 ranked Nikola Daubnerova and Xinyi Nong claimed a 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Vandy’s No. 37 pair of senior Bridget Stammel and Ray. The Commodore duo will also compete in a playoff for an NCAA spot.
Tomorrow, Ray will look to get revenge against a familiar foe in No. 34 Leyla Britez Risso of Tennessee; Britez Risso eliminated Ray in the Ohio Valley Regional quarterfinals. Singles play is set for a 9 a.m. start and will decide who can punch their ticket into the NCAA Singles Championship. Ray and Stammel face another SEC opponent, Mississippi State’s Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz and Gianna Oboniye, at a time to be determined. The winner will finish third in the doubles draw and collect a berth into the NCAA Doubles Championship.
The Sectional draw and results are available on the ITA tournament page. Live streaming is available online and live stats are accessible here. For more information, updates and exclusive content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
Day 3 Results:
SINGLES
No. 67 Welker (Ole Miss) def. No. 45 Ray (Vanderbilt) 6-2, 6-4
DOUBLES
No. 45 Daubernova/Nong (Florida) def. No. 37 Ray/Stammel (Vanderbilt) 7-6 (3), 6-4
