ORLANDO, Fla. – Vanderbilt concluded its 2019 season falling short to No. 1 Georgia in the NCAA quarterfinals, 4-3, on Friday at the USTA Tennis Complex.
“Hats off to Georgia for competing so well tonight. We had a great year and just came up a little short tonight,” said head coach Geoff Macdonald.
The Dores started the match off strong taking the doubles point over the Bulldogs.
Commodore duo Georgia Drummy and Fernanda Contreras outlasted Georgia pair Elena Christofi and Vivian Wolff, 6-4, capturing the Dores’ first doubles victory.
Earning the Commodores a 1-0 lead over top-ranked Georgia, No. 38 Dore duo Emily Smith and Emma Kurtz upset Georgia’s No. 28 Lourdes Carle and Katarina Jokic, 6-3, securing the doubles point for the Dores.
Leading 1-0 heading into singles, the Commodores stormed the court ready to battle.
No. 2 Katarina Jokic held strong for the Bulldogs, defeating freshman Georgia Drummy, 6-3, 6-2, to tie the score 1-1.
Pushing the Commodores back into the lead, No. 6 Contreras took down Georgia’s No. 19 Marta Gonzalez in a straight set win, 6-3, 6-2, earning her 134th Vanderbilt career singles victory.
Fighting back to tie the match, 2-2, Georgia’s No. 72 Wolff outlasted No. 93 Amanda Meyer on Court 4 in three sets, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Looking to take the lead, Vanderbilt maintained strong across the remaining courts.
Stepping up for the Dores, No. 18 Christina Rosca earned a comeback in the first set to secure the set over Georgia’s Carle, 7-5. In the second set the junior left it all on the court, capturing a 6-4 victory to put the Commodores up 3-2.
With two courts remaining, the Dores looked to maintain the lead over the Bulldogs.
In the first set, Smith fought hard to defeat Georgia’s No. 122 Meg Kowalski in a set tiebreak, collecting a 7-5 victoy. Giving it all she had, Smith fell short to Kowalski, 7-5, 4-6, 1-6, tying the match 3-3.
With the final court coming down to freshman Carolyn Campana, the freshman fought hard to come back from a 3-6 loss in the first set, forcing a third set with a 7-6(5) win in the second set.
Campana battled in the third set with her comeback falling short to Georgia’s Christofi, 3-6, earning the clinch for No. 1 Georgia.
Vanderbilt caps their 2019 season with a 19-8 overall record.
The season isn’t over for Contreras and Rosca who will continue their NCAA Championship run in individuals beginning on May 20th.
Keep up with Contreras and Rosca’s run in the NCAA Individual Championships by following @VandyWTennis on Twitter and Instagram.
