Vanderbilt Women's Tennis Remains Undefeated After Defeating Northwestern

No. 12 Commodores take down No. 7 Wildcats 6-0 to stay perfect on the season

Feb. 1, 2026 at 6:15pm

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The No. 12 Vanderbilt women's tennis team defeated Northwestern 6-0 on Sunday to improve to 5-0 on the season. The Commodores dominated in doubles play, winning the point with victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. In singles, Vanderbilt won five of the six matches, including straight-set wins from Trinetra Vijayakumar, Valeria Ray, and Mia Yamakita. The win sets up the Commodores for the upcoming ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

Why it matters

Vanderbilt's strong start to the season, including wins over top-10 opponents, positions them as a contender for the national title. The Commodores' depth and talent across the lineup have been on full display through the first five matches, and this victory over a fellow ranked opponent demonstrates their ability to win convincingly against quality competition.

The details

In doubles, the freshman duo of Erin Pearce and Mia Yamakita won 6-2, while the No. 2 pairing of Célia-Belle Mohr and Sophia Webster also won 6-2 against a ranked Northwestern team. In singles, Vijayakumar, Ray, and Yamakita all won in straight sets to clinch the team victory. Mohr and No. 33 Fernanda Contreras Stammel also won their singles matches, with Mohr defeating a ranked opponent.

  • The match took place on Sunday, February 1, 2026.
  • Vanderbilt's last match was a 4-2 defeat of then-No. 7 Michigan the previous week.

The players

Vanderbilt Women's Tennis Team

The No. 12 ranked women's tennis team at Vanderbilt University, competing in the 2026 season.

Northwestern Women's Tennis Team

The women's tennis team at Northwestern University, ranked No. 7 at the time of this match.

Aleke Tsoubanos

The head coach of the Vanderbilt women's tennis team.

Trinetra Vijayakumar

A sophomore on the Vanderbilt women's tennis team who won her singles match 6-0, 6-0.

Valeria Ray

A junior on the Vanderbilt women's tennis team who is ranked No. 17 nationally and won her singles match 6-2, 6-2.

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What they’re saying

“Great team win for us today. Our doubles continues to be a point of strength. I thought we played really solid, aggressive, committed doubles, and it's always important to get that first point when you can. I think that set us up with some very good momentum heading into singles.”

— Aleke Tsoubanos, Head Coach

“We got off to some pretty quick starts, especially with Trinetra, Valeria and Mia. That created a pretty big hole for Northwestern to have to get out of, and to their credit, they competed really well on those remaining courts and stretch some matches into third sets. But I thought we did a really good job of executing in the bigger moments as the match went on. That's a really solid win over a very good Northwestern team, a win that we can feel good about. Now we look to prepare for our trip to the indoor championship in Illinois.”

— Aleke Tsoubanos, Head Coach

What’s next

Vanderbilt will compete at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Champaign, Illinois starting on Friday. Seedings, matchups and times for the event will be released on Tuesday.

The takeaway

Vanderbilt's dominant performance against a top-10 opponent demonstrates the team's depth, talent, and ability to win convincingly. The Commodores' strong start to the season positions them as a contender for the national title, and their preparation for the upcoming ITA Indoor Championship will be crucial as they look to continue their undefeated run.