MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team was propelled into the singles semifinals by junior Bridget Stammel at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships hosted by Middle Tennessee.
Stammel opened Sunday in the singles round of 16 against Sofiia Paladi of Lipscomb. The No. 34 ranked Dore entered the contest a winner of two in a row. Stammel had no plans of changing that statistic, quickly grabbing a set one lead en route to a 6-3 set victory. Paladi fought back with her tournament hopes on the line, pulling out a 7-6 set two win to even the match. Stammel maintained her approach and slowly forced the match’s momentum back into her hands. The upperclassmen chipped away at Paladi, ultimately claiming the third set 6-2 to advance.
The junior took on a conference foe in the singles quarterfinals, drawing Kentucky’s Zoe Hammond. Stammel earned a break point for the first score of the match and did not trail the rest of the way. The Commodore outlasted Hammond 6-4, 6-0 to cruise into the singles semifinals.
Sophomore Valeria Ray faced Yilin Yan of Tennessee for her round of 16 doubles match. The Commodore made sure to open the match with energy and speed. Ray controlled the court throughout the set, consistently pushing the net to force Yan into quick-reaction shots. The Volunteer had no answer, and Ray grabbed a 6-2, 6-2 match victory to start her Sunday.
In the singles quarterfinals, Ray drew another Tennessee opponent in No. 81 Catherine Aulia. Aulia, the tournament’s No. 3 singles seed, used her serve to open a quick set lead. The two battled in a set separated by a mere handful of shots, but Aulia walked away with the first 7-6 (3). Ray completely changed the pace in set two, working to her advantage with a fast-paced tempo. The Commodore surged ahead to a 4-1 set lead before Aulia could manage a response. Although the Volunteer closed the deficit, Ray closed out the second set 7-5 to tie the match score. The third set was a display of physical tennis from two competitors fighting for every possible ball. The match went back-and-forth, shot-for-shot, drawing a multitude of bystanders from opposing crowds. Neither player could generate a sizeable lead, but as the set wore on, Ray looked to have seized control after going up 5-4 with her serving game to follow. Aulia, however, refused to go down, and the Volunteer eventually captured the set in another competitive finish, winning 7-5 to claim a draining match victory. In total, Ray versus Aulia lasted for over three hours.
Freshman Sophia Webster rounded out singles play for the Dores versus the No. 9 tournament singles seed, East Tennessee State’s Daniela Rivera. Webster was unable to get settled in versus Rivera, and the Buccaneer took advantage throughout the match. Rivera held on for a 7-5 first set win en route to a 6-2 set two win, ending Webster’s tournament run on Sunday.
In the doubles quarterfinals, the No. 64 ranked duo of Stammel and Ray matched up against yet another Tennessee opponent, Conley Raidt and Sami Yli-Piipari. The contest took place after all singles matches concluded, including Ray’s marathon of a match, and the Commodores ran out of steam in the final moments. Raidt and Yli-Piipari captured an 8-7 (6) win, eliminating Stammel and Ray from the doubles draw.
Stammel competes in the singles semifinals tomorrow with a chance to avenge her doubles teammate, taking on Tennessee’s Aulia at 10 a.m. CT. On the other side of the bracket, Carmen Gallardo Guevara of Purdue battles against Rivera for a spot in the singles finals.
