NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt women’s tennis bounced back in singles to win four of six matches, defeating Arkansas 4-3 on Friday at the Ensworth Tennis Facility.
The Commodores (10-5, 5-3 SEC) were at a disadvantage when they dropped the doubles point after the duo of Holly Staff and Amy Stevens fell to the Razorbacks’ Carolina Gomez and Kelly Keller, 6-3. Doubles began when No. 33 Anessa Lee and Celia-Belle Mohr defeated No. 36 Morgan Cross and Anet Koskel 6-2, however Valeria Ray and Sonya Macavei were defeated on Court 2 by Grace O’Donnell and Lenka Stara 6-3.
Staff led the Dores in singles, finishing first on Court 4 and defeating Cross 6-4, 6-0. Lee defeated Indianna Spink, ranked 112th, in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, giving the Dores a 2-1 lead. No. 11 Mohr fell on Court 1 to No. 31 Gomez, and the score was evened at 2 all. Ray added another point to the board for Vandy when she defeated Keller 7-6 (5), 6-0, but the Hogs wouldn’t go away and Stara defeated Macavei on Court 5 in the third set. The decision was left up to Stevens and after taking the first set, she dropped the second only to come back in the third, clinching the match for Vanderbilt and securing the victory.
“Well deserved win for the team today,” said Stevens. “We really hard fought on all courts. I’m super proud of all the girls and what we accomplished. It was also great to have amazing support from the coaches and fans to help get us over the line… A real Vandy team effort.”
Singles
1. #31 Gomez (Arkansas) def. #11 Mohr 6-3, 6-2
2. Ray (Vanderbilt) def. Keller 7-6 (5), 6-0
3. Lee (Vanderbilt) def. #112 Spink 6-3, 6-3
4. Staff (Vanderbilt) def. Cross 6-4, 6-0
5. Stara (Arkansas) def. Macavei 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Stevens (Vanderbilt) def. Kacie Harvey 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Doubles
1. #33 Mohr/Lee (Vanderbilt) def. #36 Cross/Koskel 6-2
2. O’Donnell/Stara (Arkansas) def. Ray/Macavei 6-3
3. Gomez/Keller (Arkansas) def. Staff/Stevens 6-3
Up Next: The Commodores compete at home against Missouri on Sunday, with first serve scheduled for 11 a.m.