CARY, N.C. — Both matches to open Wednesday's main draw at the ITA All-American Championships did not fall the way of the Vanderbilt women's tennis team, as the Commodores suffered defeats in both singles and doubles play.
No. 14 ranked senior Valeria Ray, playing from Duke's indoor courts, drew a matchup with the Blue Devils' own No. 31 Aspen Schuman. Schuman jumped out of the gate in control and never gave up the lead, ultimately downing Ray 6-1, 6-2.
Back at Cary Tennis Park, Ray returned for the first round of the doubles main draw alongside junior Sophia Webster. The Dore duo entered the contest ranked No. 29 going up against No. 14 Anna Frey and Alanis Hamilton of North Carolina. Vanderbilt was unable to generate momentum throughout the match, falling to the Tar Heel tandem 6-1, 6-4.
Ray and Webster's tournament will continue as the pair look to make a run through the consolation bracket. Ray must make the singles consolation finals to earn a qualifying spot at the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships in November. In doubles, the two must finish as consolation champions to secure a qualifying berth.
Next up, Ray is set to face No. 82 Brooke Black of Florida while Ray and Webster will play Wisconsin's No. 76 ranked Ellison Reynoldson and Kaede Usui. Match dates and times are still to be determined. 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.
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Main Draw (Day 1) Results:
SINGLES
No. 31 Schuman [Duke] def. No. 14 Ray [Vanderbilt] 6-1, 6-2
DOUBLES
No. 14 Frey/Hamilton [North Carolina] def. No. 29 Ray/Webster [Vanderbilt] 6-1, 6-4