NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For the first time in 327 days, No. 12 ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis and No. 2 Texas A&M will take the court against one another, as the two schools square off in the opening round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship hosted by Illinois.
The Commodores are the No. 6 seed out of the eight total teams competing at Illinois, while the Aggies come in as the No. 3 seed. Vanderbilt (5-0) pulled off a 5-2 takedown of Texas A&M (5-1) on March 16, 2025 and looks for the first consecutive wins in the matchup since 2017 and 2018. The Aggies hold a 12-6 advantage in the all-time series.
Junior Valeria Ray leads the way for Vandy in the ITA individual rankings, climbing to No. 15 this week in singles. Graduate Célia-Belle Mohr was a new addition to the singles list at No. 24, while senior Bridget Stammel and freshman Mia Yamakita sit just behind at No. 40 and No. 56 respectively. The four ranked Commodores are a combined 15-1 in dual match play with four wins over ranked opponents. In doubles, Mohr and sophomore Sophia Webster come in at No. 3, followed by Ray and Stammel at No. 14 and Yamakita along with freshman Erin Pearce at No. 49.
Texas A&M is represented by three players in the singles rankings: No. 41 Lucciana Perez, No. 46 Mia Kupres and No. 96 Daria Smetannikov. In doubles, Kupres and Smetannikov make up the No. 79 ranked pair. As a team, they have faced one ranked opponent so far this season, resulting in a 4-2 loss to No. 19 Pepperdine on Jan. 30. The Aggies have lost back-to-back ranked matchups dating back to last season.
No. 12 Vanderbilt and No. 2 Texas A&M begin play Friday at 9 a.m. from the Atkins Tennis Center. The advancing team will face the winner of No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 18 Texas. 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.
