NASHVILLE, Tenn. — No. 12 Vanderbilt women’s tennis has moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2021 after taking down Northwestern 6-0 on Sunday at the Lummis Family Tennis Center.
The Commodores entered the day after a weeklong break since their last match, a 4-2 defeat of then-No. 7 Michigan. The time off did not slow down the black and gold, who again came out strong in doubles play. The No. 46 ranked freshmen duo of Erin Pearce and Mia Yamakita notched the opening win for Vandy with a 6-2 defeat of Maia Loureiro and Marelie Raath. It was the No. 2 pairing of graduate Célia-Belle Mohr and sophomore Sophia Webster to secure a fifth straight doubles point for the Dores shortly after, adding another ranked win, 6-2, against No. 48 Neena Feldman and Mika Fruchtman.
“Great team win for us today,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “Our doubles continues to be a point of strength. I thought we played really solid, aggressive, committed doubles, and it’s always important to get that first point when you can. I think that set us up with some very good momentum heading into singles.”
Sophomore Trinetra Vijayakumar burst out of the gates in singles play, quickly putting Vanderbilt up 2-0 after producing a 6-0, 6-0 sweep versus Fruchtman at No. 5 singles. No. 17 junior Valeria Ray added to the lead on Court 2, sinking Feldman 6-2, 6-2. Yamakita collected her second victory of the day behind a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Loureiro, securing the team win for the Commodores. No. 33 Stammel and Mohr netted the final two points, with Stammel completing a 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (7) comeback over Autumn Rabjohns and Mohr fending off No. 39 Margot Phanthala 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (6) at the top position. Mohr moves to 2-0 against ranked singles opponents so far through dual match play.
“We got off to some pretty quick starts, especially with Trinetra, Valeria and Mia,” Tsoubanos said. “That created a pretty big hole for Northwestern to have to get out of, and to their credit, they competed really well on those remaining courts and stretch some matches into third sets. But I thought we did a really good job of executing in the bigger moments as the match went on. That’s a really solid win over a very good Northwestern team, a win that we can feel good about. Now we look to prepare for our trip to the indoor championship in Illinois.”
Vanderbilt begins play at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on Friday, where the Dores will compete from Champaign, Illinois for the first two rounds. Seedings, matchups and times for the event will be released on Tuesday. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 12 Vanderbilt 6, Northwestern 0
Doubles
1. No. 2 Mohr/Webster [Vanderbilt] def. No. 48 Feldman/Fruchtman [Northwestern] 6-2
2. No. 13 Ray/Stammel [Vanderbilt] vs. Jessel/Phanthala 4-4, abandoned
3. No. 46 Yamakita/Pearce [Vanderbilt] def. Loureiro/Raath [Northwestern] 6-2
Singles
1. Mohr [Vanderbilt] def. No. 39 Phanthala [Northwestern] 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (6)
2. No. 17 Ray [Vanderbilt] def. Feldman [Northwestern] 6-2, 6-2
3. No. 33 Stammel [Vanderbilt] def. Autumn Rabjohns [Northwestern] 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (7)
4. No. 36 Yamakita [Vanderbilt] def. Loureiro [Northwestern] 6-4, 6-2
5. Vijayakumar [Vanderbilt] def. Fruchtman [Northwestern] 6-0, 6-0
6. Pearce [Vanderbilt] vs. Raath [Northwestern] 7-6 (2), abandoned
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (5,2,4,3,1,6)
