Vanderbilt Men’s and Women’s Tennis concluded fall season play at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Tennis Championships — both taking place in Orlando, Florida. The women’s team sent a record five players to the NCAA Championships — Celia-Belle Mohr, Bridget Stammel, Valeria Ray, Sophia Webster and Mia Yamakita — while the men’s team sent a lone player in Pablo Martinez Gomez to the singles championship tournament.
The tournament was highlighted by the doubles pair of Mohr and Webster finishing the tournament as the NCAA doubles runner-up. Their appearance in the final was the first in program history.
Women’s
Doubles
Graduate student Mohr and sophomore Webster placed second in the Doubles Championship, falling to North Carolina State University’s Gabriella Broadfoot and Victoria Osuigwe in two sets, 5-7 and 4-6. However, Vanderbilt’s pair played four very impressive matches to get them to the championship game. In the Round of 32, Mohr and Webster beat the University of California Berkeley’s Greta Greco and Mas Mushika in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, and 10-5. Then, in the Round of 16, Vanderbilt’s pair defeated Duke’s Liv Hovde and Shavit Kimchi in three sets, 1-6, 6-3, 10-8. Advancing to the quarterfinals, the graduate and sophomore duo bested the University of Virginia’s Annabelle Xu and Martina Genis Salas in two sets, 6-0, 6-4. Finally, in the semifinals, Mohr and Webster beat the University of Oklahoma’s Gloriana Nahum and Roisin Gilheany in two sets, 6-3, 6-2.
“[Mohr] and [Webster] played an outstanding NCAA Tournament,” Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “I know it’s hard to see it now, but I hope they’re proud of the performance they put together this week in making a historic run to the NCAA Doubles Championship final. They were a joy to coach and be with on the court this week, and I couldn’t be happier for the success they’ve had together this fall. I have tremendous faith in them and can’t wait to see what the spring dual season holds for our team.”
Round of 64
The ‘Dores largely found success on the first day of competition at the NCAA Singles Championship. No. 27 Stammel faced off against the University of North Carolina’s Reese Brantmeier, falling in three sets 1-6, 6-4, 5-7. Stammel was the only player who failed to advance to the Round of 32, though; first-year Yamakita defeated Rice’s Darya Schwartzman in the Round of 64 in two sets, 6-2, 6-3. No. 45 Ray came away with an upset win over No. 11 Teah Chavez of Ohio State in a thrilling two-set victory, 6-4 and 6-3.
Round of 32
Vanderbilt’s remaining two singles players ran into more trouble in the Round of 32. The ‘Dores started their day with a match between No. 45 Ray and No. 67 Emily Welker of Ole Miss. Despite Ray cruising to a 6-2 first-set victory, she dropped the next two sets 6-0 and 6-3, spelling the end of her tournament run. Next was Yamakita, who faced off against No. 103 Kyoka Kubo of Kansas. Despite Yamakita getting a 6-2 first-set win, Kubo came back, winning the next two sets, 6-0 and 6-3. With the two losses in the Round of 32, the Commodores had no remaining players left on the singles side.
“There were some great wins yesterday for Valeria over Chavez and Mia over Schwartzman to be proud of,” Tsoubanos said. “They gave themselves a shot to advance today. This is a strong field of players, and everyone is fighting their tails off to survive and advance, so we will learn from these moments to help propel us forward for the dual season.”
Men’s
Vanderbilt Men’s Tennis sent a lone player to the NCAA Singles Championships: sophomore Pablo Martinez Gomez. The Murcia, Spain, native earned his tournament berth when he was named singles co-champion at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships, which took place in October. Martinez Gomez entered the tournament ranked No. 84 nationally and on a six-match winning streak. His first match was against No. 66 Matthew Forbes of Michigan State in the Round of 64. In a match that lasted nearly three hours, he fought to keep his tournament hopes alive.
During the first set, the pair were tied at three games apiece before Martinez Gomez pulled away from the Spartan, sealing the opening frame 6-3. In the second set, the opponents traded games, leading to a 6-6 tie. In the tiebreaker, Forbes dominated, winning 7-3, forcing the match into a third set. Martinez Gomez was able to break his opponent and gain a 4-3 lead in the third, but Forbes battled back, winning three straight games and winning the third set 6-4.
“I’m super proud of [Martinez Gomez] today,” Vanderbilt Men’s Tennis head coach Scott Brown said. “What a battle. Everyone [who] qualifies for the NCAA Championships is a high-quality tennis player and today was no different — the level was really high here. All of these matches come down to a few points here and there. [It’s] unfortunate that some of those points didn’t fall Pablo’s way today, but he put himself in [a] position to win that match and that’s all we can ask for.”
