TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Vanderbilt women’s tennis continued their road stretch Sunday with a tilt at Alabama, dropping a 5-2 decision against the Crimson Tide.
The 22nd-ranked Commodores took the doubles point with wins on Court 1 and 2 but were unable to carry that momentum into singles where Dasha Kourkina secured the lone singles point for Vandy during the afternoon matchup.
With the loss, the Commodores now stand at 8-3 on the season as they head into the heart of conference play.
Seeing Double
- Anessa Lee and Holly Staff teamed up to take a 6-2 win on Court 2 to open the match.
- Marcella Cruz and Amy Stevens fought hard on Court 3 before dropping a close 4-6 set to Ola Pitak and Kasia Pitak.
- The Commodores clinched the elusive first point when Anna Ross and Yufei Long held off the late push of their Crimson Tide opponents for the 6-4 set win.
Singles Slide
- The Crimson Tide knotted things up with a win on the top court as Ross dropped a series of 6-3 and 6-0 decisions on the road.
- Dasha Kourkina recorded a pair of 6-3 set wins on Court 6 to give Vanderbilt the lead back, up 2-1, as the remaining courts continued on.
- At No. 3 singles Cruz fought back to a close second set, after dropping set one, 6-1. After tying it up at 4-4, her Crimson Tide opponent won the last two games for the 6-4 final.
- On Court 3, Long dropped a pair of 6-4 sets as Alabama claimed their first lead of the match and the Commodores forced third sets on the remaining two courts looking for the comeback.
- The Crimson Tide clinched the match as the Commodores fell to 8-3 on the season with a loss on Court 5. Stevens and her opponent traded a pair of 6-4 decisions as the Vanderbilt rookie forced a decisive third set but was unable to complete the rally with a 6-1 third set loss.
- After forcing a deciding third set with her 6-4 win on Court 2 in the second, Lee dropped a 6-2 decision to her Crimson Tide rival to conclude the afternoon match.
Up Next
The Commodores return home for a full slate of SEC play next weekend when they host Arkansas and Missouri, March 11 and 13, as part of Alumni weekend.
