Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis (12-9, 5-6 SEC) defeated the Kentucky Wildcats (12-9, 5-6 SEC) on April 8. Despite a change in venue prompted by inclement weather, the Commodores rose to the occasion, winning by a score of 5-2 in Nashville. The win got the Commodores back on track after a loss to Auburn last week. 

In doubles, the duo of Célia-Belle Mohr and Marcella Cruz started the match on the front foot with a 6-2 victory, defeating the Wildcats’ pair of Ellie Eades and Zoe Hammond. Bridget Stammel and Anessa Lee followed this performance with a dominant 6-3 win over the Kentucky duo of Florencia Urrutia and Lidia Gonzalez. The doubles point was awarded to the Commodores before No. 3 doubles players Anna Ross and Holly Staff could finish their match. The Commodores’ dominance in doubles set the pace for the rest of the match.

Vanderbilt kicked the singles matches off strong as Mohr secured a 6-2, 6-1 win over Urrutia on No. 1 singles. While Elizabeth Stevens managed to bring down Anna Ross on No. 2 singles, the Commodores quickly regained momentum with a streak of three consecutive wins thanks to the stellar play of Stammel, Lee and Staff, who defeated Eades, Molina and Gonzalez, respectively. The Commodores’ match victory had already been solidified, despite Dasha Kourkina falling to Kentucky’s Hammond in the final singles match. 

Up next:

The Commodores will remain at home as they gear up for the start of the SEC Tournament. They will face off against LSU and Tennessee State University on Friday, April 14, and will take on Texas A&M on Sunday, April 16 — Senior Day, with a resolute determination to continue their winning momentum.