KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt women's tennis moved closer to securing another NCAA qualifying bid on Friday after sophomores Erin Pearce and Mia Yamakita notched a doubles quarterfinals win at the ITA South Sectional Championships hosted by Tennessee.
The Dore duo faced the Volunteers' Rinon Okuwaki and Maeve Thornton with a spot in the semifinal round on the line. The second doubles match of the event for Pearce and Yamakita was yet another rout, leaving no doubt in a 6-3, 6-0 win over their Tennessee opponents. The pair have knocked off back-to-back SEC doubles teams after sinking Georgia opponents on Thursday.
Pearce and Yamakita now sit one win away from an NCAA berth, as both pairs of doubles finalists earn qualification. Standing in the way is another Bulldog duo, No. 1 seed Patricija Paukstyte and Bella Payne. Saturday's match time has yet to be announced.
The tournament overview, entry list, draws and more can be accessed via the ITA South Sectional Championship tournament page. Live streaming is available online with live stats accessible here.
For more information, updates and exclusive content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
Day 2 Results:
SINGLES
• (Cons.) No. 14 Valeria Ray [Vanderbilt] def. Tegan Bush [LSU] 7-6 (5), 6-3
• (Cons.) Sophia Webster [Vanderbilt] def. Michaela Laki [Miami] 7-5, 4-6, 10-6
DOUBLES
• Pearce/Yamakita [Vanderbilt] def. Okuwaki/Thornton [Tennessee] 6-3, 6-1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Friday marked the opening of the June Stewart Invitational, in which Vanderbilt capped off the day with a comeback doubles victory at the Lummis Family Tennis Center.
It was an uneven start for the Dores in singles, who dropped two contests to Rice opponents and another to Belmont. After singles play, junior Trinetra Vijayakumar and freshman Nicole Weng took the court together in the lone doubles match of the day for the black and gold, facing Missouri's Danielle Dai Chapman and Evelyn Whiteside. The Dores trailed 3-0 early but proceeded to knot the score at 4-4. Vijayakumar and Weng clinched the final six games of the match en route to a 7-5 victory.
Doubles will begin Saturday's action, with matches expected to start at 10:30 a.m. and singles play set to follow. Live streaming is available online with live stats accessible here.
For more information, updates and exclusive content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
Day 1 Results:
SINGLES
• Ema Mravcova [Rice] def. Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] 7-6, 6-2
• Emmi Kolyszko [Belmont] def. Julie Jirakova [Vanderbilt] 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
• Divna Ratkovic [Rice] def. Weng [Vanderbilt] 6-3, 6-4
DOUBLES
• Vijayakumar/Weng [Vanderbilt] def. Chapman/Whiteside [Missouri] 7-5