STARKVILLE, Miss. — Closing out the regular season, the 21st-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team snapped a six-match SEC skid with an impressive 4-0 sweep of No. 41 Mississippi State at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre on Saturday.
The Commodores (13-8, 5-8 SEC) dominated the Bulldogs (10-10, 2-10) in doubles behind wins at Nos. 2 and 3 from pairs of No. 58 Marcella Cruz and Emma Kurtz & Anessa Lee and Christina Rosca. No. 54 Anna Ross and Holly Staff faced a 5-2 deficit on No. 1 before their match went unfinished.
Cruz then opened singles with a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6 for the initial singles point. No. 49 Rosca then took down No. 32 Emma Antonaki 6-3, 6-3 at No. 1 to bring the Commodore lead to a commanding 3-0. Kurtz closed out the match with a 7-6 (2), 6-1 upset of No. 74 Magda Adaloglov to clinch the match for Vanderbilt.
While unfinished, Ross was on her way to a third set on court No. 3 after losing a first-set tiebreaker before taking a 5-3 lead in the second.
With the regular season complete, the Dores will turn their attention to the upcoming SEC tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Vanderbilt’s seed and opponent are still to be determined and will be announced in the coming days by the SEC.
Results
Singles
1. #49 Christina Rosca (VU) def. #32 Emma Antonaki (MS) 6-3, 6-3
2. Emma Kurtz (VU) def. #74 Magda Adaloglou (MS) 7-6 (7-2), 6-1
3. Lilian Poling (MS) vs. Anna Ross (VU) 7-6 (7-4), 3-5, unfinished
4. Chloe Cirotte (MS) vs. Anessa Lee (VU) 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
5. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MS) vs. Holly Staff (VU) 6-4, 5-1, unfinished
6. Marcella Cruz (VU) def. Marta Falceto (MS) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
1. Emma Antonaki/Marta Falceto (MS) vs. #54 Anna Ross/Holly Staff (VU) 5-2, unfinished
2. #58 Marcella Cruz/Emma Kurtz (VU) def. Chloe Cirotte/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MS) 6-0
3. Anessa Lee/Christina Rosca (VU) def. Magda Adaloglou/Lilian Poling (MS) 6-2
Match Notes:
Vanderbilt 13-8, 5-8 SEC; National ranking #21
Mississippi State 10-11, 2-11 SEC; National ranking #41
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,1,2)
– Vanderbilt now leads the all-time series with MSU 38-8
Official: Wes Mayfield T-2:08 A-103
