CARY, N.C. — Vanderbilt women's tennis advanced two Commodores through the opening round of prequalifying at the ITA All-American Championships on Saturday from Cary Tennis Park.
After a back-and-forth opening match ended in a three-set defeat for freshman Nicole Weng, sophomore Mia Yamakita followed with a 6-4, 6-0 takedown of Clemson's Celia Anson Sanchez. Yamakita sits one win away from advancing to the qualifying draw; she also netted two prequalifying wins last season as a freshman.
Junior Sophia Webster followed suite soon after, cruising past Francesca Maguina Bunikowska of Rice 6-3, 6-0. Originally listed as a singles alternate, Webster was moved into the prequalifying draw as one of the last remaining players; she will now be competing for a spot in the qualifying bracket tomorrow.
Yamakita returns to play on Sunday with a matchup against Penn's Esha Velaga at 8 a.m. CT (9 a.m. ET). Webster is set to follow at 11 a.m. CT (noon ET) versus Neena Feldman of Northwestern. Feldman has some familiarity with Vandy after competing against the Commodores in February, falling at No. 2 singles to senior Valeria Ray.
Live streaming of the ITA All-American Championships will be available online. Fans can find tournament details and other ITA-related news on the ITA All-American Championships website page. For more information, updates and exclusive content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
Prequalifying (Day 1) Results:
SINGLES
Jessica Kolvacik [Notre Dame] def. Weng [Vanderbilt]
Yamakita [Vanderbilt] def. Anson Sanchez [Clemson] 6-4, 6-0
Anna-Marie Weissheim [Washington] def. Erin Pearce [Vanderbilt] 6-1, 7-6 (4)
Webster [Vanderbilt] def. Maguina Bunikowska [Rice] 6-3, 6-0
DOUBLES
Tea Lukic/Vessa Turley [San Diego State] def. Pearce/Weng [Vanderbilt] 7-5, 3-6, 10-5