After a successful regular season in which Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis went 14-10, with a 6-7 conference record, the Commodores received an at-large bid and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt’s regional took place in Columbus, Ohio, at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center.

Round 1: Wake Forest

Vanderbilt’s first round matchup was against the No. 38 seed, Wake Forest. A rainy Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio didn’t derail the Commodores, who handled the Demon Deacons with ease and won by a score of 4-1.

After the competition was moved indoors due to the weather, the doubles matches began. Vanderbilt had no trouble in its doubles matches, as the No. 53-ranked pair in the country of Célia-Belle Mohr and Holly Staff took down their opponents, 6-1. Anessa Lee and Amy Stevens also disposed of their opponents by a score of 6-4 to clinch the point for the Commodores.

As both sides moved onto singles, Vanderbilt continued to dominate Wake Forest. A Bridget Stammel loss (3-6, 2-6) didn’t end up mattering, as Mohr (6-2, 6-0), Valeria Ray (6-3, 6-3) and Staff (6-2, 6-3) all cruised to victories in straight sets. Stevens and Lee were both involved in nail-biters with their respective Demon Deacon opponents before Ray’s win called off their matches. 

A full breakdown of the match can be found below: 

Singles
No. 13 Mohr (Vanderbilt) def. No. 36 Wooten 6-2, 6-0
Killingsworth (Wake Forest) def. No. 74 Bridget Stammel 6-3, 6-2
Ray (Vanderbilt) def. Cruz 6-3, 6-3
Lee (Vanderbilt) vs. Nevena Carton 7-6 (0), 3-2, unfinished
Staff (Vanderbilt) def. Gownder 6-2, 6-3
Stevens (Vanderbilt) vs. Blanch 3-6, 6-6 (2-2), unfinished

Doubles
No. 53 Mohr/Staff (Vanderbilt) def. No. 86 Cruz/Killingsworth | 6-1
Stammel/Ray (Vanderbilt) vs. Wooten/Whitley Pate | 5-4, unfinished
Lee/Stevens (Vanderbilt) def. Blanch/Ahmad | 6-4

Round 2: Ohio State 

This set of matches proved to be much more competitive for the Commodores, who narrowly defeated the No. 12-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, 4-3.

Vanderbilt had an auspicious start, as the doubles pairing of Mohr and Staff cruised to a 6-0  victory. Lee and Stevens, who won against the Demon Deacons, lost their second-day matchup by a score of 6-3. Stammel and Ray led the Commodores to victory with the doubles point on the line, defeating their opponents 6-4. 

Stammel earned Vanderbilt a comfortable 2-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Teah Chavez. Right after, Lee and Stevens both dropped their matches to leave the two teams deadlocked at 2-2 with only three singles matches remaining. Ray was defeated by her opponent, 6-3, 6-4, to put the Commodores on the brink of elimination before Stammel came back with a 7-5, 6-4 victory to even the score at three points apiece. 

This left it all to Mohr, the nation’s No. 13 singles player, who dropped her first set against No. 17 Cantos Siemers, 4-6. Mohr’s dominant second and third set performances showcased her resilience and experience, as she won 6-3 and 6-2, respectively, to send the Commodores to the Sweet Sixteen.

Specifics of the match can be found below:

Singles
No. 13 Mohr (Vanderbilt) def. No. 17 Cantos Siemers 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
No. 74 Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. No. 50 Perry 7-5, 6-4
No. 114 Ratliff (Ohio State) def. Ray 6-3, 6-4
Bereznyak (Ohio State) def. Lee 6-0, 6-1
Staff (Vanderbilt) def. Chavez 6-3, 6-0
Spencer (Ohio State) def. Stevens 6-4, 6-4

Doubles
No. 53 Mohr/Staff (Vanderbilt) def. Bereznyak/Cantos Siemers 6-0
Stammel/Ray (Vanderbilt) def. Spencer/Perry 6-4
Madeline Atway/Chavez (Ohio State) def. Lee/Stevens 6-3

The Commodores will travel to Charlottesville, Va., to compete in the NCAA Super Regionals, where they’ll take on the fifth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers on May 11.