The University of Missouri tennis team faced a tough loss against No. 31 Vanderbilt, ending with a 7-0 score at the Green Tennis Center on Sunday, Feb. 23. With this result, Missouri’s record now stands at 8-2 overall and 0-1 in the SEC, while Vanderbilt improved to 8-1 overall and 1-0 in the SEC.
In doubles play, the Tigers struggled to gain momentum. Graduate student Lailaa Bashir and freshman Gian Octa were the first to finish, losing 6-2 on court three. Senior Mary Brumfield and junior Andrea Artimedi followed with a similar result, dropping their match 6-2 on court two. The duo of freshman Korina Roso and senior Inah Canete had their match on court one left unfinished, trailing 2-5 against Vanderbilt’s 12th nationally ranked pair.
Singles play saw the Tigers put up a fight but ultimately fall short. Canete and Bashir faced nationally ranked opponents, with Bashir battling hard on court two before losing 6-4, 6-3. Roso delivered a strong effort on court three, pushing her match to a tiebreaker but ultimately losing 6-3, 1-6, 12-14.
Head Coach Bianca Turati expressed disappointment in the team’s performance. “Overall today, we could have done a much better job,” she said. “We did not show up with the competitive spirit we needed. We failed as a team to really test Vanderbilt and put them under pressure. We had too slow of a start in singles and did not bounce back after doubles at all, and that set the tone for the whole match. Credit to Lailaa and Korina—they played good matches at #2 and #5 singles.”
Looking ahead, the Tigers will aim to rebound as they host No. 22 Alabama on Friday, Feb. 28, at 11 a.m. CT at the Green Tennis Center or Country Club of Missouri. They will then face Mississippi on Sunday, March 2, at noon CT.
Related topics: