AUBURN, Ala. – The 8th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team picked up a 5-2 road win against No. 11 Auburn Friday evening for the squad’s fifth Southeastern Conference victory.
With the win, Vandy improves to 10-5 (5-1) and extends its win-streak against AU to 27 straight matches.
The Commodores began Friday’s match racing away with the doubles point. On court three, Fernanda Contreras and Christina Rosca served up a spotless 6-0 win against Georgie Axon and Alannah Griffin for the first victory on the day.
Up 5-2, No. 8 Astra Sharma and Emily Smith only allowed Andie Dikosavljeciv and Taylor Russo one additional game before walking away with the clinch. With the victory, Sharma/Smith own an 8-2 career record.
In singles play, the Commodores took three first sets, with two of the remaining three courts forcing third sets. Auburn leveled the match, 1-1, on court five as Roos van der Zwaan defeated Georgina Sellyn, 6-4, 6-4.
Fernanda Contreras gave VU the 2-1 lead as the sophomore downed Caroline Turner in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3. The match was quickly clinched in the Commodores’ favor as No. 5 Sharma and No. 93 Rosca had bang-bang wins on courts one and three.
Sharma added another ranked win to her arsenal, defeating No. 34 Alizaa Michaud in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Rosca also earned a ranked victory, rallying back from a 5-7 first-set deficit to upset No. 85 Russo in a three-set battle of her own, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1.
Following the clinch, No. 12 Sydney Campbell lost in a three-set heartbreaker to No. 78 Dikosavljeciv by a close third set, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Playing on court four, Kurtz delivered the ‘Dores their fifth and final point in a tight 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 win against Auburn’s Georgie Axon.
Vanderbilt remains on the road and in the state of Alabama for its next match, facing the No. 45 Alabama Crimson Tide Sunday at 1 p.m.
