NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The eighth-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team improved to 10-1 in Southeastern Conference play on Saturday, defeating the No. 28 Kentucky Wildcats, 4-2 at the Currey Tennis Center.
Freshman Sydney Campbell clinched the match with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) win at the No. 1 position over No. 65 Nadia Ravita. The 68th-ranked freshman improved to 16-8 on the year and 7-2 in dual play. The win marked the first of her career at the No. 1 position.
Vanderbilt (17-4, 10-1 SEC) jumped out to the early advantage winning the doubles point for the 16th time this season. No. 63 Lauren Mira and Courtney Colton picked up the first win of the afternoon for the Commodores at the top doubles position, knocking off McGraw/Witten, 8-2.
Marie Casares and Frances Altick notched their fifth-straight win to clinch the point at the No. 3 position.
The Commodores and Wildcats played some very competitive singles matches, each team took three first sets to open up.
Vanderbilt saw first set wins at positions three, four and five. Both Colton at five and Altick at three only needed two sets to take care of business and notch points for the Commodores.
Colton was the first to pick up the win, taking down Caitlin McGraw 6-0, 6-3. Altick, who cruised in the first set 6-0 and to use a come-from-behind effort to take the second set, and the match, 7-5.
The Wildcats picked up their first point of the day when Vandy’s Georgina Sellyn went down with an ankle injury at the No. 2 position. The sophomore was forced to retire the match. Results on her ankle came back negative.
Kentucky would pick up its second point of the day with a win over Mira at No. 6. Kirsten Lewis defeated the Vanderbilt senior 6-4, 1-6, 6-0 to cut the Commodore lead to one.
With the match in the balance Sydney Campbell was able to work her match at one to a tiebreak before defeating Ravita 7-4 in the breaker.
Casares went unfinished for the second-consecutive match, serving 5-4 in the third set. Her win streak of 21-matches remains intact, despite going unfinished the past two times out.
The Commodores will hit the road for the remainder of the conference season. Next weekend its matches at Florida on Friday and South Carolina on Sunday before the conference championship tournament the following week in Missouri.
#8 Vanderbilt 4, #28 Kentucky 2
Singles competition
1. #68 Sydney Campbell (VU) def. #65 Nadia Ravita (UK) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
2. Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. #91 Georgina Sellyn (VU) 6-2, 2-1, retired
3. #67 Frances Altick (VU) def. Kelsey Dieters (UK) 6-1, 7-5
4. #85 Marie Casares (VU) vs. E. Morin-Kougoucheff (UK) 6-2, 2-6, 5-4, unfinished
5. #99 Courtney Colton (VU) def. Caitlin McGraw (UK) 6-0, 6-3
6. Kirsten Lewis (UK) def. Lauren Mira (VU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #63 Lauren Mira/Courtney Colton (VU) def. Caitlin McGraw/CeCe Witten (UK) 8-2
2. Nadia Ravita/Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. #35 Sydney Campbell/Ashleigh Antal (VU) 8-3
3. Marie Casares/Frances Altick (VU) def. Kirsten Lewis/E. Morin-Kougoucheff (UK) 8-4
Match Notes:
Kentucky 15-8, 5-6 SEC; National ranking #28
Vanderbilt 17-4, 10-1 SEC; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (2,5,3,6,1)
T-3:58
