ATHENS, Ga. — No. 13 Vanderbilt brought No. 1 Georgia down to the final singles match but could not close the door on the top-ranked Bulldogs, falling 4-3 in Friday’s road contest.
“We put ourselves in positions in both the singles and doubles to come away with four points,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “I’m really proud of the way we competed all the way around.”
The final result is the closest match score Georgia has had in conference play this season. The Bulldogs notched early wins at the No. 3 and No. 1 positions to claim the doubles point. Sophomore Valeria Ray and junior Bridget Stammel picked up their second ranked win together with a 6-1 defeat 0f No. 63 Guillermina Grant and Anastasiia Lopata.
Despite the early disadvantage, Vanderbilt fought back to take first set leads at the top three singles positions. The Dores eventually tied the score behind a Stammel spark after taking down Mell Reasco 6-3, 6-3 at Court 3. Georgia reclaimed the lead with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles. Back-to-back victories from senior Amy Stevens and freshman Trinetra Vijayakumar shifted the match score once more in favor of Vandy. Vijayakumar’s 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback over No. 82 Guillermina Grant marked her first ranked singles win of the season.
Up 3-2, all eyes turned to the top two spots. Although Vanderbilt possessed first set leads from No. 16-ranked Célia-Belle Mohr and No. 78-ranked sophomore Valeria Ray, Georgia forced a third frame against both to extend the match. Each final set looked as if Georgia would walk away unscathed after the Bulldogs pulled ahead 4-0. Ray fended off any and all possible deciding points, clawing her way to a 4-4 tie with the Dores needing a single point. Mohr fought back to a 4-3 deficit against No. 1 Dasha Vidmanova. But with a raucous home crowd fueling the home Dogs, the upset effort on the road fell just short. No. 81 Lopata came away with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win before Vidmanova dashed the Dores’ hopes in a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 defeat of Mohr.
“This team is fighting hard,” Tsoubanos said. “We’ve come a long way from the start of the dual season. I love the passion we are playing with and we will continue to push forward and learn some tough lessons to be stronger from as we enter the home stretch of SEC play.”
No. 13 Vanderbilt (15-5, 8-4 SEC) heads to Columbia for a matchup with No. 18 South Carolina (13-7, 8-4 SEC) on Sunday. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 1 Georgia 4, No. 13 Vanderbilt 3
Doubles
1. No. 12 Vidmanova/Reasco (Georgia) def. No. 14 Mohr/Sophia Webster (Vanderbilt) 7-5
2. Stammel/Ray (Vanderbilt) def. No. 63 Grant/Lopata (Georgia) 6-1
3. No. 90 Aysegul Mert/Hayden Mulberry (Georgia) def. Stevens/Sonya Macavei (Vanderbilt) 6-1
Singles
1. No. 1 Vidmanova (Georgia) def. No. 16 Mohr (Vanderbilt) 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
2. No. 81 Lopata (Georgia) def. No. 78 Ray (Vanderbilt) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
3. No. 45 Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Reasco (Georgia) 6-3, 6-3
4. No. 40 Mert (Georgia) def. Webster (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-4
5. Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) def. No. 82 Grant (Georgia) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Stevens (Vanderbilt) def. Sofia Rojas (Georgia) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,4,6,5,2,1)
