COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 14 seed Vanderbilt women’s tennis saw its 2026 season come to a close in Columbus, 4-1, at the hands of No. 3 seed Ohio State on Saturday at the Auer Tennis Complex.
“First off, congratulations to Ohio State on the win today and advancing to Athens,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “They played a great match and competed very well; hats off to them. It was a tough day for our squad, and obviously not the result we were hoping for, but I’m so proud of the season that this team put together, culminating in a Sweet 16 finish. We dealt with some adversity through a good portion of SEC play, and I thought the team did a beautiful job of stepping up in certain situations to put us in a position to be successful this postseason.”
Ohio State (26-4) struck first in doubles, notching a win at the No. 3 position before sealing the opening advantage at Court 1. Vanderbilt (22-10) looked to have flipped the momentum in singles, taking early leads at five of six courts. However, the Buckeyes held firm, limiting the Dores to three first sets.
As the match rolled on, Ohio State slowly began to grab control of the momentum. The Buckeyes posted their second point of the day after a win from No. 76 Nao Nishino at No. 4 singles. Sophomore Sophia Webster looked to have provided the spark for Vandy at the sixth position, downing Hephzibah Oluwadare 7-5, 6-4. After Ohio State moved ahead 3-1, the remaining three courts entered third sets as the match hung in the balance. But it was too little, too late for the black and gold, who could not overcome the deficit. Ohio State decided the match at Court 1.
Saturday’s loss brings an end to what was a historic season for the Commodores. In the fall, the program produced its first NCAA Doubles Championship finalists after graduate Célia-Belle Mohr and Webster’s run to the championship match in November. The pair earned a doubles championship title at the Ohio Valley Regional Championships in October, joining Stammel and Yamakita, who finished as co-champions in singles. Stammel’s title made her the first three-time singles champion in the history of the regional tournament. Five total Commodores secured a berth into the individual NCAA Championships, the most in program history.
From there, Vanderbilt began dual match play 5-0, highlighted by a 4-2 win at No. 7 Michigan to qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship tournament. It was the Dores’ first win over the Wolverines since 2008, and their first berth into the team indoor event since 2023. On March 6, Vanderbilt knocked off top-ranked defending champion Georgia 4-2, the program’s first win over a No. 1 team since 2019. The Dores ventured into Knoxville on March 27, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 win, sinking a top-15 ranked Tennessee for the second straight year. The comeback was Tsoubanos’ 100th career head-coaching victory at Vanderbilt, and gave the black and gold its fourth ranked win of the regular season. The 2026 team finishes with 22 dual match wins, the most by any squad in the Tsoubanos era.
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[No. 3] No. 4 Ohio State 4, [No. 14] No. 14 Vanderbilt 1
Doubles
1. No. 23 Flora Johnson/Luciana Perry [Ohio State] def. No. 7 Mohr/Webster [Vanderbilt] 6-3
2. No. 34 Oluwadare/Teah Chavez [Ohio State] vs. No. 15 Stammel/Valeria Ray [Vanderbilt] 4-3, unfinished
3. Sophia Cisse-Ignatiev/Audrey Spencer [Ohio State] def. Erin Pearce/Yamakita [Vanderbilt] 6-1
Singles
1. No. 5 Chavez [Ohio State] def. No. 30 Mohr [Vanderbilt] 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. No. 4 Perry [Ohio State] vs. No. 12 Stammel [Vanderbilt] 7-5, 1-6, 5-0, unfinished
3. Cisse-Ignatiev [Ohio State] def. No. 33 Ray [Vanderbilt] 7-6 (2), 6-1
4. No. 76 Nishino [Ohio State] def. Yamakita [Vanderbilt] 6-2, 6-2
5. No. 123 Spencer [Ohio State] vs. Pearce [Vanderbilt] 2-6, 7-5, 3-1, unfinished
6. Webster [Vanderbilt] def. Oluwadare [Ohio State] 7-5, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,6,3,1)
