April 6, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The numbers don’t seem to matter to Jill Doherty. Vanderbilt lacrosse’s senior attacker has spent much of her final season on West End rewriting the Commodores’ record books. But ask Doherty about her gaudy career stats and you’ll receive a humble shrug in return.
“I didn’t even know about that, to be honest,” Doherty said.
What Doherty does know is Vanderbilt feels like it’s playing well at the right time. On Wednesday the Commodores took down BIG EAST foe UConn, 16-8, in Nashville, improving their record to 6-4 on the year and 3-1 in conference play. That 3-1 start against BIG EAST teams is Vanderbilt’s best since joining the league in 2015. Its only conference loss came last week on the road at No. 3 Florida.
The Dores success this season has coincided with Doherty’s play as a senior. Against UConn, she led her squad with four goals while chipping in two assists, three ground balls, four draw controls and two caused turnovers. Now Doherty has largely cemented herself as one of the greats of Vanderbilt lacrosse; she owns 81 assists for her career and needs just eight to become the Dores’ all-time leader. Doherty also has a chance to finish in Vanderbilt’s top-five for career points (she has 160) and draw controls (141).
Head coach Cathy Swezey said Doherty is a true game-changer in any matchup.
“She’s just an outstanding player,” Swezey said. “Anybody who watches her can clearly see she’s one of the best attackers, not just on our team but on the field.”
Doherty has been a linchpin of Vanderbilt’s roster since arriving as a freshman in 2014, when she started 14 of her first 17 games. But Swezey credits the senior with still finding ways to improve her game. Doherty said she saw the fruits of her labor against UConn.
“Cathy’s been giving me a few different looks to try: opening up my stick more, getting better passes to our cutters, turning my shoulders more,” Doherty said. “I worked on that a lot this week, and it’s definitely helped.
Little can stop Doherty from finishing near the top of Vanderbilt’s record books. But the Boston native hopes her team’s success ultimately defines her final college season. The Commodores have already secured more wins (six) than two of Doherty’s three previous seasons. With five games remaining in the regular season, they could still add to that tally.
That challenge begins on Saturday against BIG EAST opponent Georgetown in Washington D.C. The Hoyas and Commodores are among four teams tied for second in the conference with 3-1 records. The BIG EAST only sends its top four teams to the league tournament, which means every game matters from this point forward.
That’s good news to Doherty, who sees a Vanderbilt squad that’s up to the challenge.
“The team we have this year, and that chemistry, is what we’ve been looking for,” Doherty said. “It’s taken a little while to get here, but now that we have it, it’s the most cohesive unit I’ve played with. We’ve worked three years to get this point. Our goal is to make it to the BIG EAST Tournament, then we’re shooting for the NCAA tournament.”
Vanderbilt faces Georgetown on Saturday at 12 p.m. CT.
