LEXINGTON, K.Y. — No. 11 Vanderbilt women’s tennis generated its seventh win in eight matches as the Commodores fended off an upset-minded Kentucky 4-3 on Sunday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.
Vanderbilt (18-5, 8-3 SEC) got back in the win column in doubles, taking both matches at its top two positions. Freshman Erin Pearce and sophomore Sophia Webster got the ball rolling for the Commodores at the No. 2 spot, downing Zoe Hammond and Ellie Myers 6-2. With Kentucky (9-11, 1-10 SEC) holding a lead at Court 3, the No. 25 duo of junior Valeria Ray and senior Bridget Stammel delivered the black and gold the opening advantage with a 6-4 defeat of Reese Sager and Asuncion Jadue.
After Pearce helped produce the first win in doubles, the freshman did so again to start singles play, sinking Elena Molla 6-2, 6-0. With the Dores inching closer to a victory, the Wildcats began to claw back. Kentucky pieced together wins at No. 3 and No. 5 singles to even the match 2-2. No. 25 Ray pushed Vanderbilt back into the lead after a 6-4, 6-2 takedown of Julia Zhu. No. 33 Stammel sealed the team win at the top singles position, holding on against Hammond 6-0, 4-6, 7-5. Kentucky added a third point at No. 6 singles after the team result had been decided.
The Commodores prepare for their sixth top-15 SEC matchup of the season on Thursday as No. 11 Vanderbilt hosts a streaking No. 8 Oklahoma (19-4, 9-2) at the Lummis Family Tennis Center. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 11 Vanderbilt 4, Kentucky 3
Doubles
1. No. 25 Ray/Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. Jadue/Sager [Kentucky] 6-4
2. Pearce/Webster [Vanderbilt] def. Hammond/Myers [Kentucky] 6-2
3. Donna Le Roux/Zhu [Kentucky] vs. Mia Yamakita/Trinetra Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] 5-4, unfinished
Singles
1. No. 33 Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. Hammond [Kentucky] 6-0, 4-6, 7-5
2. No. 25 Ray [Vanderbilt] def. Zhu [Kentucky] 6-4, 6-2
3. Sager [Kentucky] def. No. 93 Yamakita [Vanderbilt] 6-3, 6-3
4. Pearce [Vanderbilt] def. Molla [Kentucky] 6-2, 6-0
5. Jadue [Kentucky] def. Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] 6-3, 6-2
6. Le Roux [Kentucky] def. Webster [Vanderbilt] 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,3,5,2,1,6)
