NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 5-ranked senior Célia-Belle Mohr generated her fifth straight singles win, leading No. 15 seed Vanderbilt women’s tennis past Xavier 4-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
The Dores notched their third straight doubles point to begin the match. Junior Sonya Macavei and senior Amy Stevens again provided the early spark, capturing the first win of the day 6-0 over Emily Flowers and Natalie Smitek. It is the duo’s fourth straight victory together, three of which have been the first completed match on the day. The newly ranked pair of sophomore Valeria Ray and junior Bridget Stammel, coming into the matchup at No. 76, finished off the doubles point with a 6-4 defeat of Elizabeth Pendergast and Madeleine Rexroat.
Vanderbilt produced first set leads at three of the five available singles courts. Freshman Trinetra Vijayakumar got the ball rolling at No. 4 singles, playing at the fourth line for the first time since March 30. Vijayakumar cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win against Flowers for her second consecutive victory. Stammel gave the Dores a 3-0 advantage after taking down Rexroat 6-2, 6-1. None other than Mohr lifted Vanderbilt to the win after clinching the match against Pendergast 6-2, 6-3.
In total, Vandy outscored Xavier 244-185 across singles play. The Dores end the Musketeers’ nine-match win streak, in which they brought home their fifth Big East Tournament title in a row. Vanderbilt moves to 14-1 against opponents outside of the top-25 team rankings and grabs a 2-0 lead in the all-time series against Xavier.
No. 15 Vanderbilt (20-6) advances on to face No. 17 UCLA (17-7) for a 2 p.m. start in the regional final. Outdoor matches will be held at Middle Tennessee’s Outdoor Tennis Complex, but in the event matches need to be played indoors due to weather, they will take place from Vanderbilt’s Lummis Tennis Center indoor courts. Live streaming will be available online. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X. Fans can visit the NCAA Regional Central page online for additional details on the event.
No. 15 Vanderbilt 4, Xavier 0
Doubles
1. No. 9 Mohr/Sophia Webster (Vanderbilt) vs. No. 63 Abby Nugent/Clara Owen (Xavier) 4-5, unfinished
2. No. 76 Ray/Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Pendergast/Rexroat (Xavier) 6-4
3. Macavei/Stevens (Vanderbilt) def. Flowers/Smitek (Xavier) 6-0
Singles
1. No. 5 Mohr (Vanderbilt) def. Pendergast (Xavier) 6-2, 6-3
2. No. 70 Ray (Vanderbilt) vs. Nugent (Xavier) 2-6, 5-3, unfinished
3. No. 54 Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Rexroat (Xavier) 6-2, 6-1
4. Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) def. Flowers (Xavier) 6-1, 6-0
5. Webster (Vanderbilt) vs. Abigail Siminski (Xavier) 4-6, 1-2, unfinished
6. Stevens (Vanderbilt) vs. Owen (Xavier) 0-2, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (4,3,1)
