CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — No. 12 Vanderbilt came up just short against No. 18 Texas from the Atkins Tennis Center, falling 4-1 to the Longhorns on Saturday in a match that was decided in the final moments.
The Commodores rebounded in doubles to begin the match after dropping the early point yesterday against No. 2 Texas A&M. The No. 14 ranked duo of junior Valeria Ray and senior Bridget Stammel once again got the ball rolling for the black and gold, picking up a 6-4 victory over Carmen Andreea Herea and Elizabeth Ionescu. Texas (3-2) evened things up with a 7-5 win at Court 3. With the opening point up for grabs, it was the No. 3 ranked pairing of graduate Célia-Belle Mohr and sophomore Sophia Webster to secure it, fending off Salma Drugdova and Christasha McNeil 7-5.
“The team responded really well in doubles today from yesterday’s match,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “I think we played more aggressively, in the way we’ve played starting out this year, and we were rewarded with getting that doubles point.”
Singles became a battle of attrition, with four of the six total matches going to three sets. The Longhorns eventually moved up 3-1 after wins from McNeil and No. 2 Herea. With Vanderbilt (5-2) needing three points for the match win, each remaining Commodore held leads as the team eyed a potential comeback. But with the match in the balance, Texas’ No. 63 ranked Anastasia Abbagnato fought back at No. 2 singles to force a third set tiebreaker. Abbagnato ultimately pulled off a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4) win over No. 40 Stammel to clinch the match for the Longhorns.
“I think we competed really hard in singles,” Tsoubanos said. “We were really in nearly every match and had some leads that we weren’t quite able to close out. I think we are doing the right things at times, and just not able to sustain what was working in some spots, so some of those matches took some turns. But I felt like we competed well, and we gave ourselves an opportunity to win that match.
“It definitely feels like some learning and growing are going to need to come from today, but again, the great thing about this tournament is that we still have another opportunity,” Tsoubanos concluded. “Whether that’s Duke or Illinois tomorrow, it will be another great match. We look forward to getting one more crack at it and seeing if we can end here on a high note. I’m proud of the effort we showed out there today.”
No. 12 Vanderbilt rounds out its tournament tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. against the loser of No. 7 Duke and host Illinois. The ITA National Team Indoor Championship tournament page can be viewed online. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 18 Texas 4, No. 12 Vanderbilt 1
Doubles
1. No. 3 Mohr/Webster [Vanderbilt] def. McNeil/Drugdova [Texas] 7-5
2. No. 14 Stammel/Ray [Vanderbilt] def. Ionescu/Herea [Texas] 6-4
3. Abbagnato/Mathilde Ngijol Carre [Texas] def. No. 49 Mia Yamakita/Erin Pearce [Vanderbilt] 7-5
Singles
1. No. 2 Herea [Texas] def. No. 15 Ray [Vanderbilt] 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
2. No. 63 Abbagnato [Texas] def. No. 40 Stammel [Vanderbilt] 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4)
3. McNeil [Texas] def. No. 56 Yamakita [Vanderbilt] 6-1, 6-2
4. Trinetra Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] vs. Eszter Meri [Texas] 6-4, 5-7, 0-1, unfinished
5. Ionescu [Texas] def. Pearce [Vanderbilt] 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
6. Webster [Vanderbilt] vs. Kate Mansfield [Texas] 6-1, 2-6, 5-5, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,1,5,2)
