Today, Wednesday, September 25, 2024 is an important day, because the main draw of the ITA All-American Championships begins and, among the qualified tennis players, there are also those from Vanderbilt University.
About women, senior Clia-Belle Mohr and freshman Sophia Webster qualified for the main draw doubles after winning a tight tie-breakagainst UCLA opponents, coached by Websters mother, Stella Sampras Webster. With their backs against the wall in the third set, Mohr and Webster rallied to win four straight points and steal the tiebreaker, 10-8.
Sophomore Valeria Ray and sophomore Bridget Stammel came up just short in their doubles match against UCLA. The pair fell to 28th-seeded Bruins Ahmani Guichard and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer 6-4 in the first set. Ray and Stammel fought through several close points in the second set, but were unable to gain control of their UCLA opponents. The Dores exited the doubles draw in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
Mohr will face Baylors Cristina Tiglea today, starting singles play in the main draw. Stammel will also take the court in the opening round of the singles main draw, facing Dukes Emma Jackson at noon. Mohr and Webster will look to continue their doubles streak against Virginias Margaret Navarro and Sara Ziodato at 3 p.m.
Head Coach Aleke Tsoubanos said: "Great finish by Celia and Sophia on UCLA to advance today. They were down late in the 10-point tie-breakand played great defense with quick reaction points to seal the match. Im happy they got an opportunity now in the main draw tomorrow. Tough for Valeria and Bridget. They were there the whole match and UCLA just executed some big points, both from the backcourt and at the net. Theyre developing well as a doubles team and will have more opportunities this fall.
Sophia, speaking about the challenge, said after the match: "Facing a team like UCLA is always difficult because it hits so close to home; I feel like it's a special part of me. With my mom as my coach, I know she wants the best for me, but she also has a job to do. I think that's something I already realized before the game. Once we started playing, I completely forgot about the situation and just tried to focus on playing every point."
About men's,Sophomore Hugo Coquelin and fifth year Henry Ruger qualified for the main draw due to the withdrawal of Duke Blue's Sam Landau and Andreja Petrovic. TheDoreswill face Florida State's Joshua Dous Karpenschif and Erik Schiessl at 3:30 p.m. CT today. Danil Panarin will begin his singles play at the All-Americans in the opening round of the main draw, where he will face Florida State's Corey Craig, at 1:30 p.m.
