FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – The Vanderbilt women’s tennis had a challenging first day at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships. Both Sydney Campbell and Courtney Colton fell in their round of 32 singles matches, but will continue playing in tournament consolation rounds.
“There was really tough competition today,” said head coach Geoff Macdonald. “Courtney (Colton) played the No. 1 ranked player in the country and the defending champion. The main things you learn playing with this level of completion is what this level of play is like and learning how to succeed as one of the top-30 players in the country. I think the girls learned a lot and are going into the back-draw with a lot of desire to pick up wins. Tennis is such a hard game and when you get whipped you try to learn from it and go back to the drawing board.”
No. 63 Colton took on the No. 1 seed and defending champion Jamie Loeb out of North Carolina Thursday afternoon. Loeb made quick work of the first round match, defeating the junior; 6-2, 6-1.
Vandy’s No. 50 Sydney Campbell faced off against the No. 10 player in the country, Danielle Collins, falling in the first set; 6-2. The Tennessee native used the loss as momentum powering past Collins in the second and winning, 7-5. In the end the No. 7 seed defeated Campbell in a third set tiebreak making the final score; 6-2, 5-7, 6-3.
“Sydney (Campbell) fought really hard. Danielle Collins won the NCAAs last may and is a good player. Sydney had chances so she didn’t give the match to her. I thought it was a good growth match for her and a good place for her to realize that she is not far from becoming one of the top-10 in the country. We talked afterwards and I think she is learning and getting better. She’s had a tremendous fall.”
Both Commodores begin their journeys Friday’s tournament consolation rounds where they will continue to face some of the most elite collegiate tennis players in the country. Campbell faces the No. 1 seed Hayley Carter at 2:45 p.m. ET, and Colton competes against Michigan’s Ronit Yurovsky an hour earlier at 1:45 p.m.
