NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 21 Vanderbilt women’s tennis delivered a 5-2 victory over SMU on a shortened Sunday to begin the team season 1-0.
The Mustangs secured the doubles point to open the match. The Dores’ No. 11 ranked duo of senior Célia-Belle Mohr and freshman Sophia Webster notched the only doubles victory for Vanderbilt, a 6-2 result over June Björk and Caroline McGinley.
SMU continued the momentum in singles, generating first set wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. With the match in the balance, Vanderbilt began to battle back. Freshman Trinetra Vijayakumar picked up the first point of the match for the Dores after defeating Sophia Llewellyn 6-3, 6-0. Junior Sonya Macavei quickly followed suit, downing June Björk 6-2, 6-2. No. 26 ranked junior Bridget Stammel fended off an upset bid from Ellie Pittman to secure a 6-4, 6-4 win.
With the Dores up 3-1, Ray and Mohr both overcame early deficits en route to singles victories, clinching the match for Vanderbilt. SMU collected its final point of the match with a back-and-forth contest between freshman Sophia Webster and the Mustangs’ Millie Skelton. A valiant comeback effort from Webster was thwarted in the final moments as Skelton hung on for a 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 decision in the last match of the day.
In what was originally a doubleheader, the Dores’ second match against the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky was postponed due to weather. A rescheduled date will be announced at a later time.
Vanderbilt (1-0) looks ahead to the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with its opening match against UC Santa Barbara (0-2) set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25. For more information, updates, and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 21 Vanderbilt 5, SMU 2
Doubles
1. No. 11 Mohr/Webster (Vanderbilt) def. Björk/McGinley (SMU) 6-2
2. Llewellyn/Pittman (SMU) def. Ray/Stammel (Vanderbilt) 6-3
3. Morris/Stavropoulos (SMU) def. Macavei/Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) 6-2
Singles
1. Célia-Belle Mohr (Vanderbilt) def. Drew Morris (SMU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. No. 26 Bridget Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Ellie Pittman (SMU) 6-4, 6-4
3. No. 78 Valeria Ray (Vanderbilt) def. Arianna Stavropoulos (SMU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Trinetra Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) def. Sophie Llewellyn (SMU) 6-3, 6-0
5. Sonya Macavei (Vanderbilt) def. June Björk (SMU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Millie Skelton (SMU) def. Sophia Webster (Vanderbilt) 6-2, 2-6, 10-8
(Order of finish: Doubles 3, 2, 1 / Singles 4, 5, 2, 3, 1, 6)
