No. 22 Vanderbilt hosted its first home competition of the season in a 4-0 win over unranked Memphis. The Commodores, the only sub.500 team in the Top 25, looked to rebound from a pair of early-season losses against SMU and No. 19 Tennessee.
The meet opened with the quest for the doubles point as No. 17 Celia-Belle Mohr and Annessa Lee faced Camila Soares and Monique Woog, Bridget Stammel and Valeria Ray faced Emily Meyer and Alice Amendola and Holly Staff and Sonya Macavei faced Miriam Grossman and Leonie Moeller.
Memphis got off to an early lead on all three courts through the first three games of each match. The most striking advantage came on court three as Grossman and Moeller led Staff and Macavei 4-0 before the Commodore pair made a brief comeback attempt. The Black and Gold would get the match to 5-2 before ultimately surrendering.
On court one, the Tigers got off to a 3-1 lead before Vanderbilt showed signs of life. Mohr and Lee came storming back in games 5 and 6 to even the series, then clinched a critical point in game 7 as the pairs stood tied 40-40. Once capturing the lead, Mohr and Lee would never surrender it, ending the match with a 6-3 victory.
After Memphis went up 2-1, Stammel and Ray rode the Commodore’s wave of momentum to a comeback effort. The pair tied the match 2-2 then held on for a close victory in game 5 that gave them the match lead. Both sides would go back and forth the remainder of the match, with Vanderbilt clinching a point followed by Memphis narrowing the lead back to one game. After courts one and three finished at an even 1-1 between the teams, it was down to Stammel and Ray to hold on for the doubles point victory. Up 5-4 with a 40-0 lead, the Commodores would make good on their obligation, blanking Memphis and sealing the doubles point.
With the tie-breaking point in tow, Vanderbilt entered singles play loose and confident. Lee and Staff lept out to early leads on their opponents that they wouldn’t surrender for the entirety of the first set, both winning 6-1. Stammel and Ray had closer, but not particularly close, first sets, both taking theirs 6-3.
The only Commodore to struggle in the first singles set was No. 14 Mohr, who faced Memphis’ top-ranked Soares. After taking a 3-2 lead, Mohr would surrender three of the next four games, finding herself down 5-4 after losing a heartbreaking game 9. The junior would bounce back in the next game, blanking Soares to tie the series, then earning the lead with a riveting finish to a 40-40 game 11. A third straight game victory would clinch the first set for Mohr, giving the Commodores five wins in five first sets up to that point.
Stammel would be the first Vanderbilt player to complete the second set, winning 6-2 and with it earning the Commodores their first singles point. Lee looked to be next up for a victory after going up 4-0, but a comeback effort from Moeller delayed the inevitable long enough for Staff to earn the next Vanderbilt team point. Less than two minutes after Staff earned her victory, Lee finally got hers, putting Vanderbilt up 4-0 in team points and concluding the meet early.
Vanderbilt will next compete against Northwestern when they host the Wildcats next Sunday, Feb. 11 at Lummis Family Tennis Center.
Singles Results:
Mohr vs Soares 7-5, 2-2 (unfinished)
Lee def. Moeller 6-1, 6-2
Stammel def. Woog 6-3, 6-2
Ray vs. Meter 6-3, 3-6, 1-1 (unfinished)
Staff def. Amendola 6-1, 6-4
Doubles Results:
Mohr/Lee def. Soares/Woog 6-3
Stammel/Ray def. Meyer/Amendola 6-4
Grosmman/Moeller def. Staff/Macavei 6-2
