KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt women’s tennis brought home more regional hardware as graduate Célia-Belle Mohr and sophomore Sophia Webster used a comeback effort to defeat Tennessee in the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships doubles final from Barksdale Tennis Stadium on Tuesday.

“I’m really proud of CB and Soph for coming through in a very tough match today,” associate head coach Jack Findel-Hawkins said. “They didn’t always play their best tennis, but they stuck together as a team and focused on bringing the best out of each other when it really mattered.”

The No. 12 ranked pair started strong against the Volunteers’ top duo of No. 17 Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso, jumping ahead 3-1 to open the first set. Tennessee then grabbed control of the match, rattling off four straight games to build a 5-3 advantage. After the Dores responded by taking the next game, Aulia and Britez Risso proceeded to close out the set 6-4.

It looked as though the Vols would continue the momentum with a 2-1 lead to start the second set. Mohr and Webster answered with a four-game run of their own to make the score 5-2 in favor of the Dores. Aulia and Britez Risso fought back in the next two games, but it was Vandy who held on for the 6-4 set win, forcing another 10-point tiebreaker to decide the match.

Neither team could create separation in the tiebreaker; the score went from 3-3 to 6-6 to 8-8. The Dores finally seemed to have seized control by going up 10-9 with Mohr to serve for the win. An Aulia return strike down the sideline stayed in bounds for Tennessee, and the tiebreaker was once more even at 10-10. But with an NCAA qualifying spot on the line, Vanderbilt would not be denied. The Dore duo forced two back-to-back Volunteer errors and pulled out a 12-10 victory in the final frame to secure the match victory.

Mohr and Webster join senior Bridget Stammel and freshman Mia Yamakita as qualifiers for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in November. It is the second time in the last three years the Dores have finished atop the singles and doubles draw at regionals; Vanderbilt did so in 2023 with Stammel as the singles champion and Mohr along with Anessa Lee as the doubles champions. Since becoming a part of the Ohio Valley Regional in 2009, the Commodores are one of three schools to win both the singles and doubles title in the same season. Vanderbilt is the only program to accomplish that feat three times.

“This finished off a great regional tournament for the Dores, and I’m excited to see us continue building on this for the remainder of the fall season,” Findel-Hawkins said.

There are two more qualifying opportunities before the NCAA Championships begin: the ITA Sectional Championships and the ITA Conference Masters Championships, both of which take place Nov. 6-9. For more information, updates and exclusive content, follow the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, @VandyWTennis, on Instagram and X.

Day 5 Results:
DOUBLES
No. 12 Mohr/Webster (Vanderbilt) def. No. 17 Aulia/Britez Risso (Tennessee) 4-6, 6-4, 12-10