NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt women’s tennis brought home both SEC weekly awards on Wednesday, as graduate Célia-Belle Mohr was named SEC Player of the Week and Erin Pearce earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
View this post on Instagram
Both Commodores were instrumental in Vanderbilt’s wins over No. 1 Georgia and No. 11 South Carolina. It is the second career SEC Player of the Week honor for Mohr, who produced three ranked wins across singles and doubles in the two matches for the black and gold. Along with partner Sophia Webster, she defeated No. 8 Deniz Dilek and Aysegul Mert to start the match against the top-ranked Bulldogs as Vandy took the doubles point and never looked back. It was the highest ranked win of the season for the Dores’ top pairing.
In singles, Mohr controlled the momentum against No. 37 Anastasiia Lopata, downing the Bulldog 7-5, 6-2 at No. 1 singles. The match victory put the third point on the board after Georgia had evened the score 2-2, setting up the 4-2 final score in Vanderbilt’s win over the No. 1 Bulldogs. It was also the 100th career singles victory for Mohr, who leads the Commodores in ranked singles wins this spring with six.
Mohr again put on a dominant showing versus No. 11 South Carolina on Sunday, cruising past No. 47 Kaitlyn Carnicella 6-3, 6-1. It was the first singles victory of the match for Vanderbilt, delivering the Dores their second point en route to a 4-1 win over the Gamecocks. Mohr now tops the black and gold in SEC singles victories and sits at 12-2 in singles play this spring.
View this post on Instagram
Pearce was an X-factor for Vanderbilt, providing key wins in singles and doubles. Facing Georgia, Vanderbilt pulled ahead 3-2 with two matches remaining at Courts 2 and 6. Pearce, playing at the No. 6 spot, fended off No. 61 Sofia Rojas in two tiebreak sets, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2), to deliver the clinch point for the Dores. It was the highest ranked win for Pearce so far, and her first in a clinch situation. Against South Carolina, No. 88 ranked Pearce and freshman Mia Yamakita sealed the doubles point for Vanderbilt after the Dores and Gamecocks split matches at the top two positions. The freshmen duo defeated Jane Dunyon and Jana Stojanova 6-4, putting the early point on the board for Vandy, who ultimately took the match 4-1.
It is just the second time in program history that Vanderbilt has brought home both SEC weekly awards in the same day. The Commodores achieved that feat on March 9, 2017 after Sydney Campbell earned Player of the Week honors and Emma Kurtz took Freshman of the Week. Campbell and Kurtz’s weekly awards also came after a win over Georgia – the 4-2 victory was Vandy’s first in Athens since 2005.
After back-to-back top-15 victories, Vanderbilt vaulted to No. 16 in Tuesday’s ITA team rankings. The Commodores go on the road Friday for a 3 p.m. matchup with Mississippi State. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
