NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The top-seeded Vanderbilt women’s tennis team clinched its fifth-straight appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 on Saturday, sweeping No. 41 Clemson 4-0 in the Regional Championship held on campus.
With the win over Clemson, the Commodores boast a 24-3 overall record and cap the year with an unblemished 13-0 mark at the Currey Tennis Center.
The Commodores advanced to the Round of 32 match against Clemson with a 4-0 victory over Alabama State on Friday.
Vanderbilt began the regional championship match by taking the doubles point over the Tigers.
VU’s duo of Astra Sharma and Fernanda Contreras, ranked 11th in the country, earned the first win on the day. In a top-25 battle, the Commodore tandem limited No. 21 Marie Leduc and Fernanda Navarro to three games in a 6-3 win.
Emily Smith and Emma Kurtz, ranked 69th nationally, looked to secure the one-point advantage for the Commodores, but Clemson earned a vital 4-all deuce point to extend the match. Immediately after the failed deuce point, Vanderbilt’s Christina Rosca and Amanda Meyer clinched the doubles point on No. 3 with a 6-2 win over Daniela Ruiz and Sydney Riley. The victory extended the Commodore pairings win streak to 11 matches.
Vandebilt entered singles play pulling off five-of-six first sets, and going 1-1 when attempting to win a first set tiebreaker. All three of Vanderbilt’s victories came in straight sets.
Meyer was first off the court for the black and gold, taking a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Riley to give Vanderbilt a 2-0 lead. The weekend was success for the freshman Meyer, who went undefeated with two doubles wins and a singles victory in her NCAA debut.
Sharma, ranked No. 11 nationally, made the most of the final collegiate home match, giving VU the 3-0 lead with a top-25 victory over 24th-ranked Leduc. Sharma now has a remarkable 106 victories in her Commodore career.
Contreras, ranked No. 10 in the nation, came through with the Commodore clinch. Earning a 6-4, 6-1 win over CU’s Fernanda Navarro, Contreras sealed VU’s spot in the Sweet 16 and sits just two wins shy of tying Vanderbilt’s single-season win record (39) and earning her 100th Commodore victory.
Contreras with the CLINCH! Fern downs Navarro, 6-4, 6-1 on court two! #FIGHTDORES pic.twitter.com/QFUUULUz90
— Vandy Women’s Tennis (@Vandywtennis) May 12, 2018
Vandy will venture to Winston-Salem, N.C. for the remainder of the NCAA Tournament, facing Miami on Thursday at 3 p.m. CT. It will mark the program’s 18th Sweet 16 appearance.
Commodore Notables:
- Set to contend in a fifth-straight Sweet 16, and 18th overall
- This is the second straight year where the Commodores downed Clemson in the Round of 32
- The victory was the program’s 54th NCAA tournament victory, with head coach Geoff Macdonald leading the team through the ups and downs of every NCAA journey
- Vanderbilt has given up only two points against their five most recent opponents
- Contreras sits two wins short of claiming VU’s single-season win record (39) as well as her 100th career victory
- Summer Dvorak earned her first NCAA Tournament win on Friday
- VU owns 13 top-25 victories and eight top-10 wins
