Vanderbilt’s first two matches after its stunning victory over No. 2 Texas A&M on March 16 were a mixed bag. On March 21, No. 8 Auburn dominated the Commodores 6-1, but Vanderbilt regrouped to defeat No. 22 Florida on March 23.
Vanderbilt vs. Auburn
To open doubles, Auburn’s Merna Refaat and Angella Okutoyi defeated Valeria Ray and Trinetra Vijayakumar, 6-3. Vanderbilt then answered with a 6-4 win from Bridget Stammel and Amy Stevens over Ava Esposito and Maria Garcia. With doubles knotted up, the point hinged on a close matchup between Vanderbilt’s No. 14 Celia-Belle Mohr and Sophia Webster and Auburn’s No. 16 DJ Bennett and Ava Hraster. Mohr and Webster ultimately prevailed after a clean 7-6 (7-1) tiebreaker to put Vanderbilt up early.
The Commodores failed to carry their momentum into the singles sides of play, however, losing all six singles matches despite forcing third sets in three. Starting with the two-set losses, Webster fell first, losing to Esposito 6-4, 6-1. Then, No. 56 Ray suffered her first singles loss since Nov. 18 when No. 62 Okutoyi defeated her 6-3, 6-3 to snap Ray’s 17-match singles winning streak. Vanderbilt went down 1-3 when Auburn’s No. 36 Refaat defeated first-year Vijayakumar.
At this point, Vanderbilt’s path to victory was narrow but still existent if all three-set matches ended in a win for the Black and Gold. Stevens came back to take the second set against Alice Battesti, but Battesti ultimately sealed Auburn’s victory 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. The Commodores played on as No. 44 Stammel attempted to close out Hrastar after winning the first set tiebreaker. However, Hraster gained steam, battling back to a 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-1 victory. Vanderbilt’s last hope for a singles point ended when No. 4 Bennett outlasted No. 11 Mohr after a nail-biting final set, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
Vanderbilt vs. Florida
Vanderbilt looked to get back on track against No. 22 Florida in its fifth-straight ranked matchup. Doubles were smoother for the Commodores this time around, with No. 14 Mohr and Webster producing a quick 6-2 win over No. 60 Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee. Next, Stammel and Stevens bested Noemie Oliveras and Talia Neilson-Gatenby, 6-3. Ray and Vijayakumar were behind Rachel Gailis and Reagan Parker 5-3 when play was called after Vanderbilt secured the doubles point.
In singles, the Commodores found similar success, picking up the first four points. No. 44 Stammel was ahead of Neilson-Gatenby 6-1, 3-0 when Neilson-Gatenby retired. Stevens then put Vanderbilt up 3-0 when she cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Parker. Webster was right behind with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Oliveras to clinch the match for Vanderbilt. Vijayakumar earned Vanderbilt’s final point when she defeated Spee, 6-2, 6-3. Although the Commodores were victorious, the matchup against the Gators was the first time this season they lost at No. 1 and No. 2 singles while still winning the match. The Gators’ No. 39 Gailis upset No. 11 Mohr 6-3, 6-3, and No. 91 Dudeney outlasted No. 56 Ray 1-6, 6-0, 10-8.
Vanderbilt will head home to continue its SEC slate against No. 9 LSU at 2 p.m. on March 28.
