ORLANDO, Fla. — For the first time in program history, Vanderbilt women’s tennis will compete for an NCAA Doubles Championship title after graduate Célia-Belle Mohr and sophomore Sophia Webster notched their 12th straight win on Saturday at the USTA National Campus.
“CB and Soph were outstanding in every facet of the game today: serving, returning, defense, movement and aggression,” head coach Aleke Tsoubanos said. “It was a clean match from start to finish. They had fantastic energy and cohesion between them. We’ve talked about what they look and sound like when they are playing their best doubles; that was on full display today.”
Mohr and Webster faced No. 27 Roisin Gilheany and Gloriana Nahum of Oklahoma on Court 1. Four of the first five games to begin the match went to deciding points; the Dores took three of the five. The Sooners evened the set score at 3-3 with their service game. Webster regained the lead for Vandy behind a flawless service game, and the Dores closed out the final two games of the set to seal the first frame 6-3.
After a 3-0 start to the second set, Oklahoma generated their second break of the match to get on the board and closed the deficit to 3-2 moments later. With the momentum beginning to shift, Mohr and Webster did what they have done all tournament long: find ways to win. The pair finished off the final three games to claim the second set 6-2 and secure a berth into the doubles final.
“In the second set there was a little momentum switch from 3-0 to 3-2, but they grabbed it right back with a huge service game from Célia to go up 4-2,” Tsoubanos said. “From there, it was a gritty break and another excellent service game from Sophia to close it out. I couldn’t be more proud of them to be playing for an NCAA championship on Sunday and the opportunity ahead for them both.”
Mohr and Webster look to add to an exclusive list of individual NCAA champions at Vanderbilt. Across school history, there are just five individual NCAA championship titles: Mary Lou Baldwin in 1982, Vanderbilt swimming’s 400 medley relay team in 1982, Ryan Tolbert in 1997, Gordon Sargent in 2022 and Veronica Fraley in 2024.
The NCAA Doubles Championship final is set for tomorrow at not before 12:30 p.m. with the Dores matching up against No. 10 Gabriella Broadfoot and Victoria Osuigwe of NC State. The NCAA tournament page is available online with live stats available here. The championship match will be streamed on ESPN+, and main coverage will be provided by Cracked Racquets.
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