NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt women’s tennis continued its winning streak at home on Sunday, earning a victory over Northwestern.
Vanderbilt swiftly claimed the doubles point, giving the Dores a head start over the Wildcats. At Line 1, No. 23 duo Anessa Lee/Célia-Belle Mohr led Vandy with a 6-1 victory over Northwestern’s Justine Leong/Elisa Van Meeteren. Doubles tandem Bridget Stammel and Valeria Ray followed, clinching the point for the Dores with their fifth consecutive win of the season against Christina Hand/Sydney Pratt.
“I was extremely impressed with all of the doubles,” coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “I think every time we’ve competed at doubles it’s gotten a little bit better, which has been a tribute to the girls coming out and the work that they’re doing. They’re able to follow through in match play, which is what you want to see.”
Singles play began with Mohr retiring on Court 1, due to an illness. But the Commodores didn’t let up, taking back-to-back courts in singles play. Holly Staff led the team, taking the first singles point over her opponent in straight sets. On Court 4, the Dores took another straight-set victory with Ray defeating the Wildcats’ Autumn Rabjohns, giving Vandy a 3-1 lead. Sonya Macavei and Lee fell on Courts 2 and 6 to Pratt and Maria Shusharina, respectively.
“In singles, we were able to close out matches on Courts 5 and 4, which pushed us and gave us some momentum—and that was huge,” Tsoubanos said.
Stammel picked up the victory in the third set, earning the fourth point for Vanderbilt and clinching the match.
“For Bridget it was one point at a time with really simple decisions and really simple tennis, but I’m so proud of the way that she came through,” Tsoubanos said.
“We pulled together as a group really well. Overall it was an incredible team match. Northwestern is a very good team and very well-coached, so we should feel really good about this win.”
Singles
1. Leong (Northwestern) def. No. 16 Mohr by retirement 6-1
2. Shusharina (Northwestern) def. No. 119 Lee 7-5, 6-3
3. No. 23 Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Hand 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
4. No. 110 Ray (Vanderbilt) def. A. Rabjohns 6-4, 6-4
5. Staff (Vanderbilt) def. Britany Lau 6-3, 6-2
6. Pratt (Northwestern) def. Macavei 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. No. 23 Lee/Mohr (Vanderbilt) def. Leong/Van Meeteren 6-1
2. Ray/Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Hand/Pratt 6-4
3. Macavei/Staff (Vanderbilt) vs. Lau/Shusharina unfinished
On Deck: Vanderbilt takes the weekend off and returns Feb. 25 for a doubleheader at Montgomery Bell Academy against Austin Peay and Tennessee State.
