CARY, N.C. — Both doubles pairings for the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team battled through third sets to earn wins in the first round of qualifying at the ITA All-American Championships from Cary Tennis Park in Cary, North Carolina.
The No. 37 ranked duo of junior Valeria Ray and senior Bridget Stammel notched the first win of their season in their opening match of the fall. The pair, facing Yale’s Leena Friedman and Orly Ogilvy, quickly went up a set after taking the first 6-4. Their Bulldog counterparts struck back in the second, hanging on for a 7-5 set win and forcing a third frame. Ray and Stammel pulled out a thrilling 13-11 final set to advance to the second day of qualifying. Soon after, the No. 43 ranked pair of freshmen Erin Pearce and Mia Yamakita took the court against Kaitlyn Carnicella and Daniela Piani of South Carolina. Yamakita, who suffered a singles loss earlier in the day, bounced back with her freshman teammate, grabbing a 6-4 opening set advantage. Carnicella and Piana returned the favor in the second with a 6-1 result. In another three set match, Vanderbilt again came through, taking the match with a 10-5 score in the last set to move on.
Both pairs of doubles teams look to make their way into Wednesday’s main draw in the final round of qualifying tomorrow. Ray and Stammel open the day against Wisconsin’s No. 39 Maria Sholokhova and Lucie Urbanova at 1:30 p.m. Last season, the duo generated four wins against ranked opponents and finished the year downing UCLA’s No. 11 ranked pair Olivia Center and Kate Fakih. Following that match, Pearce and Yamakita are slated for their first career ranked matchup against No. 33 Tatum Evans and Theadora Rabman from North Carolina at 2:30 p.m. The women’s All-American tournament page is available online.
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Qualifying (Day 1) Results:
SINGLES
No. 102 Zuzanna Kubacha (Baylor) def. Yamakita (Vanderbilt) 6-4, 6-1
DOUBLES
No. 37 Ray/Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Friedman/Ogilvy (Yale) 6-4, 5-7, 13-11
No. 43 Pearce/Yamakita (Vanderbilt) def. No. 68 Carnicella/Piani (South Carolina) 6-4, 1-6, 10-5
