EVANSTON, Ill. — No. 31 Vanderbilt women’s tennis extended its winning streak to six with a 4-2 road victory over No. 47 Northwestern on Friday.
“It was an awesome win for us today; that’s a very good and tricky Northwestern team,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “We’ve been focusing a lot on the energy each player brings to the court and playing with clear identities in doubles. That was evident today.”
The Dores secured their sixth straight doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. No. 46-ranked senior Célia-Belle Mohr pushed Vanderbilt to a 2-0 lead after a swift 6-2, 6-0 victory against Erica Jessel at No. 1 singles. No. 41-ranked Junior Bridget Stammel notched her fourth straight singles victory, a 7-5, 6-1 decision over Britany Lau, after trailing for much of the first set. The Wildcats then began to claw back, taking the next two matches to shrink the deficit to 3-2. With the match in the balance, No. 94-ranked sophomore Valeria Ray anchored the Dores at No. 2 singles. She generated a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback versus Mika Fruchtman to clinch the match win for Vanderbilt. It marks the sixth straight win against Northwestern in the all-time series for the Commodores.
“I give Northwestern a lot of credit,” Tsoubanos said. “They competed very well to start off singles and nearly took five out of six first sets against us. But Célia did a great job of taking care of her match pretty efficiently, and then Bridget fought back to get her first set, which was huge to slow down their momentum. It’s certainly a good feeling to end nonconference competition on a high note. We look forward to starting SEC play on Sunday.”
Ray continues her career-best singles win streak, which now stands at 11. It is the most singles victories in a row by a Commodore since All-American Anessa Lee won 12 straight in the 2022-2023 season. The Dores’ six straight match wins is the longest stretch since capturing eight consecutive victories in 2021. And at 7-1, Vandy matches its best start since 2021.
No. 31 Vanderbilt (7-1) enters SEC play with an opening matchup against Missouri (7-1) on Sunday. Play is set to begin at noon. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
Vanderbilt 4, Northwestern 2
Doubles
1. No. 12 Mohr/Sophia Webster (Vanderbilt) def. Lau/Fruchtman (Northwestern) 6-4
2. Stammel/Sonya Macavei (Vanderbilt) def. Jessel/Sydney Pratt (Northwestern) 6-2
3. Ray/Trinetra Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) vs. Neena Feldman/Kiley Rabjohns (Northwestern) 5-4, unfinished
Singles
1. No. 46 Mohr (Vanderbilt) def. Jessel (Northwestern) 6-2, 6-0
2. No. 94 Valeria Ray (Vanderbilt) def. Fruchtman (Northwestern) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. No. 41 Bridget Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. Lau (Northwestern) 7-5, 6-1
4. Pratt (Northwestern) def. Macavei (Vanderbilt) 6-2, 6-3
5. Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) vs. K. Rabjohns (Northwestern) 3-6, 7-6 (0), unfinished
6. Feldman (Northwestern) def. Webster (Vanderbilt) 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,4,3,6,2)
