NORMAN, Okla. — It was a back-and-forth opening match for No. 14 ranked and seventh-seeded Vanderbilt, but the Commodores hung on to punch their ticket to the quarterfinal round of the 2026 SEC Women’s Tennis Championship with a 4-3 victory over No. 10 seed Ole Miss on Thursday at the Headington Family Tennis Center.
Both teams split doubles matches early. Vanderbilt (20-8, 9-6 SEC) got the ball rolling at No. 3 doubles with the freshmen duo of Erin Pearce and Mia Yamakita. The pair handily moved past Brooklyn Olson and Beatrice Stagno, 6-1, for the first win of the contest. Ole Miss (15-11, 6-9 SEC) evened it up after claiming a victory at the top position. The No. 11 pairing of junior Valeria Ray and senior Bridget Stammel anchored it down for the Dores at No. 2 doubles, holding strong in a 7-6 (3) battle to seal the doubles point for Vanderbilt.
The Commodores generated three first set leads on Courts 1, 2 and 5 to open singles play. Vanderbilt moved ahead 2-0 behind a 6-3, 6-2 win from No. 9 Stammel over Alice Soulie. From there, the Rebels began to chip away, taking three of the next four match results to make the overall score 3-3. Yamakita provided the Dores’ third point in that stretch after sinking Stagno once more, 6-4, 6-4.
With the black and gold’s tournament hopes on the line, No. 30 Ray delivered for her team when it needed her the most. After falling in the first set to Andrea Nova, the junior battled back 6-4 in the second frame. It was all Ray in the final set as the Dore clinched the match with a 6-2 set win.
Vandy remains unbeaten after dropping two consecutive matches this season. Additionally, the Commodores have generated win streaks of six and five, respectively, in the previous two instances after back-to-back losses. They will attempt to continue that trend against the SEC’s No. 2 tournament seed, Texas A&M (21-4, 13-2 SEC), who has already handed Vanderbilt two defeats earlier in the year. The Aggies also sit at No. 2 in the ITA team rankings.
Seventh-seeded Vanderbilt faces No. 2 seed Texas A&M in the quarterfinal round of tournament play on Friday at not before noon from the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Live streaming is available online with live stats accessible here. Fans can view the full SEC Championship bracket and more on the SEC Championship website page. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
[No. 7] No. 14 Vanderbilt 4, [No. 10] Ole Miss 3
Doubles
1. No. 9 Nova/Emily Welker [Ole Miss] def. No. 6 Célia-Belle Mohr/Sophia Webster [Vanderbilt] 6-3
2. No. 11 Ray/Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. Crowder/Soulie [Ole Miss] 7-6 (3)
3. Pearce/Yamakita [Vanderbilt] def. Olson/Stagno [Ole Miss] 6-1
Singles
1. No. 19 Welker [Ole Miss] def. No. 24 Mohr [Vanderbilt] 3-6, 6-0, 6-0
2. No. 9 Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. Soulie [Ole Miss] 6-3, 6-2
3. No. 30 Ray [Vanderbilt] def. Nova [Ole Miss] 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
4. Crowder [Ole Miss] def. Pearce [Vanderbilt] 6-3, 7-6 (5)
5. Yamakita [Vanderbilt] def. Stagno [Ole Miss] 6-4, 6-4
6. Ichino Horikawa [Ole Miss] def. Webster [Vanderbilt] 7-5, 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,1,5,4,6,3)
