STARKVILLE, Miss. — The No. 18 Vanderbilt women’s tennis team improved to 2-0 in conference play with Sunday’s victory against No. 69 Mississippi State.
The Dores clinched the doubles point for the seventh time this season with wins from Bridget Stammel and Anessa Lee on Court 3 and from Anna Ross and Holly Staff on Court 1.
In singles, Stammel was the first to finish with a two-set victory on Court 3, followed by Lee on Court 4. Celia-Belle Mohr solidified the match victory with her three-set battle on Court 1.
The Dores and Bulldogs played out the rest of the singles matches, where Vandy was able to earn an additional point with a win from Amy Stevens.
“I’m so proud of this team for pulling out a hard-fought victory in a really tough environment today. We are playing some great doubles at all positions, and the momentum of the doubles carried into singles play,” Vanderbilt head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “Bridget and Anessa played great tennis to get us to a 3-0 lead, and I give a lot of credit to Mississippi State for battling their way back into the match. CB’s effort to come back from a set and 5-2 down, clinching the match point for us, was absolutely massive.”
Singles
No. 45 Mohr (Vandy) def. Emmanouela Antonaki 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-0
Gia Cohen (Mississippi State) def. No. 96 Staff 7-6 (7-2), 6-1
No. 53 Stammel (Vandy) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk 6-1, 6-1
No. 98 Lee (Vandy) def. Chloe Cirotte 6-2, 6-3
Stevens (Vandy) def. No. 66 Maria Rizzolo 6-1, 7-5, 6-3
Dharani Niroshan (Mississippi State) def. Marcella Cruz 7-5, 2-6, 6-2
Doubles
Ross/Staff (Vandy) def. Antonaki/Cirotte 6-2
Cruz/Mohr (Vandy) vs. Mikhailuk/Niroshan 4-3, unfinished
Lee/Stammel (Vandy) def. Cohen/Rizzolo 6-1
Vanderbilt will continue conference play at home, facing off against Tennessee on March 10 and Georgia on March 12.