ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sunday is set for a top-25 matchup in the final contest of ITA Kickoff Weekend from Ann Arbor, Michigan, as No. 19 Vanderbilt women’s tennis downed Notre Dame 4-0 on Saturday at the Varsity Tennis Center to seal a matchup with the host, No. 7 ranked Michigan, tomorrow afternoon.
“That was a quality win over a very good Notre Dame team, and obviously the final score was not indicative of the overall match – there were close score lines everywhere,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “I thought everyone competed well in all nine positions.”
Vanderbilt (3-0) cruised to an early lead over Notre Dame (2-1) after claiming wins at the top two doubles positions. The No. 2 ranked duo of graduate Célia-Belle Mohr and sophomore Sophia Webster opened the scoring with a swift defeat of the Fighting Irish’s No. 21 Bianca Molnar and Bojana Pozder 6-1. No. 13 junior Valeria Ray and senior Bridget Stammel followed suite at the No. 2 spot, making quick work of Akari Matsuno and Jessica Kovalcik in a 6-2 result.
Notre Dame looked to have seized some momentum early in singles play, capturing first set advantages at the No. 5 and No. 1 positions. No. 58 Molnar handed Mohr just her second first set loss in the last 12 matches dating back to last season. With the Fighting Irish beginning to chip away, the Commodore freshmen provided their team a needed spark, starting with No. 36 Mia Yamakita’s 6-1, 6-3 victory against Sophia Holod. Erin Pearce made the score 3-0 in favor of Vanderbilt behind a 6-2, 6-4 takedown of Mari-Louise Van Zyl at No. 6 singles. It was No. 33 Stammel who was able to produce the clinch point, putting on a fundamental clinic and pulling away from Pozder 7-5, 6-2.
“Our doubles really came out of the gates strong, and we played aggressively and disciplined to snag that first point, which is always huge for early momentum,” Tsoubanos said. “Our freshmen, Mia and Erin, did an awesome job jumping out to early leads and putting those matches away for us to sneak to 3 points. I was really happy to see Bridget work through the first and find her footing there in that second set to seal the match for us.”
Saturday’s 4-0 win gives the Dores a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series versus Notre Dame; it is the third shutout victory overall and the first since 1999. No. 7 Michigan (1-0) earned its opening win of the 2026 season earlier in the day, shutting out Penn 4-0. Vanderbilt will need to overcome a track record of ITA Kickoff Weekend success from the Wolverines, who have qualified for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in 14 of the last 17 seasons. And at home, Michigan is 44-1 over the course of the past three seasons, defeating 16 top-25 opponents in Ann Arbor during that span. Vanderbilt trails 7-3 all-time and will look for its first win versus the Wolverines since 2008. The two teams last met in 2017, with Michigan coming out on top over a No. 8 ranked Vandy team 4-1.
Michigan is represented by multiple players in the ITA individual rankings. Piper Charney tops the team at No. 3 as the highest ranked singles player in the Big Ten. Charney is followed by Lily Jones at No. 32, Reese Miller at No. 80 and Jessica Bernales rounding out the Wolverines at No. 85. In doubles, Jones and Bernales lead the charge at No. 43, Charney and Emily Sartz-Lundy sit at No. 54 and Gabriella Vannessa Lindgren and Bayley Sheinin are ranked No. 73.
Tomorrow’s final is expected to begin at 1 p.m. CT (2 p.m. ET) from the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor. Streaming will be available online with live stats accessible here. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 19 Vanderbilt 4, Notre Dame 0
Doubles
1. No. 2 Mohr/Webster (Vanderbilt) def. No. 21 Molnar/Pozder (Notre Dame), 6-1
2. No. 13 Ray/Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Matsuno/Jessica Kovalcik (Notre Dame), 6-2
3. No. 46 Yamakita/Pearce (Vanderbilt) vs. Hanford/Gabriella Rawles (Notre Dame), 4-4 abandoned
Singles
1. No. 58 Molnar (Notre Dame) vs. Mohr (Vanderbilt), 6-2, 4-5 abandoned
2. No. 17 Ray (Vanderbilt) vs. Matsuno (Notre Dame), 6-4, 4-5 abandoned
3. No. 33 Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Pozder (Notre Dame), 7-5, 6-2
4. No. 36 Yamakita (Vanderbilt) def. Holod (Notre Dame), 6-1, 6-3
5. Hanford (Notre Dame) vs. Trinetra Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt), 6-2, 2-6, 2-0 abandoned
6. Pearce (Vanderbilt) def. Van Zyl (Notre Dame), 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,6,3)
