AUBURN, Ala. — Fifth-seeded Vanderbilt women’s tennis suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of No. 4 seed Auburn in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The Dores put together another high-energy doubles performance. Junior Sonya Macavei and senior Amy Stevens again earned an opening win for Vandy, downing Ava Esposito and Maria Garcia 6-2. With a game-by-game battle occurring at No. 1 doubles, sophomore Valeria Ray and junior Bridget Stammel continued the momentum at the No. 2 position. The pair turned a 2-0 deficit into a 6-3 victory over No. 53 Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat 6-3 to capture the early point. It is Ray and Stammel’s third ranked win together this season.
With a lead that diminished the spirits of the home crowd, the black and gold continued to make plays in singles. Vanderbilt opened up first set leads at three courts, highlighted by No. 10-ranked senior Célia-Belle Mohr with a 6-4 frame against No. 4 DJ Bennett. Mohr dismantled Bennett in the second frame, avenging a March loss to the Tiger with a 6-0 last set to push the Dores up 2-0 in the match. The senior outscored Auburn’s top player 58-33 throughout the match while taking advantage of six unforced errors from Bennett.
Despite the deficit, Auburn found its way back from the bottom up. Alice Battesti generated a 6-3, 6-2 win over Stevens at No. 6 singles. The loss ends Stevens’ career-long streak of eight. No. 59 Angella Okutoyi, who ended Ray’s 17-match win streak earlier this season, again controlled the match at No. 2 singles en route to a 6-2, 6-2 finish. No. 79 Ava Hrastar fully flipped the momentum for the Tigers, coming back from a 6-4 opening set loss to No. 52 Stammel to finish the match 6-1, 6-2 and secure Auburn’s third point.
Freshman Sophia Webster notched a first set victory over No. 57 Merna Refaat at No. 4 singles. With the match in the balance, Refaat hung around, ultimately snatching the second set 6-4. The Tiger extended the control into the final set, downing Webster 6-2 to seal the match for Auburn. Freshman Trinetra Vijayakumar was in the midst of a 6-7 (5), 7-5, 5-1 comeback when the match was clinched.
No. 13 Vanderbilt awaits where it will land in the NCAA Tournament. The tournament selection show is set to take place on April 28 at 4 p.m. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 6 Auburn 4, No. 13 Vanderbilt 2
Doubles
1. No. 19 Bennett/Hrastar (Auburn) vs. No. 14 Mohr/Webster (Vanderbilt) 4-3, unfinished
2. Ray/Stammel (Vanderbilt) def. No. 53 Okutoyi/Refaat (Auburn) 6-3
3. Macavei/Stevens (Vanderbilt) def. Esposito/Garcia (Auburn) 6-2
Singles
1. No. 10 Mohr (Vanderbilt) def. No. 4 Bennett (Auburn) 6-4, 6-0
2. No. 59 Okutoyi (Auburn) def. No. 62 Ray (Vanderbilt) 6-2, 6-2
3. No. 79 Hrastar (Auburn) def. No. 52 Stammel (Vanderbilt) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
4. No. 57 Refaat (Auburn) def. Webster (Vanderbilt) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Esposito (Auburn) vs. Vijayakumar (Vanderbilt) 7-6, 5-7, 1-5, unfinished
6. Battesti (Auburn) def. Stevens (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,6,2,3,4)
