No. 10 Vanderbilt Commodores (8-1)
vs.
No. 21 Auburn Tigers / Alabama Crimson Tide
Auburn: Feb. 26, 2021 • 3 p.m. CT | Alabama: Feb. 28, 2021 • 1 p.m. CT
First Full SEC Weekend
- Set for its first two-match weekend in SEC play, No. 10 Vanderbilt will host No. 21 Auburn and Alabama at Currey Tennis Center with Auburn visiting at 3 p.m. Friday and Alabama in town at 1 p.m. Sunday.
- Due to COVID-19 protocols and social distancing guidelines, fans are not permitted to attend this weekend’s matches at Currey Tennis Center.
- Fans can follow the match via live stream, live scoring or on Twitter by following @VandyWTennis.
ITA Rankings
- In the newest release of the Oracle/ITA rankings, Vanderbilt is currently ranked No. 10 in the country. The Commodores moved down one spot after falling 4-2 to formerly No. 23 LSU on Monday.
- A pair of SEC programs find their spot in the top 10 this week with Vandy at No. 10 and Georgia at No. 3. Five other SEC programs are in the top 25 this week with LSU, Tennessee, Auburn and Texas A&M all slotted Nos. 19-22, respectively, and Arkansas at No. 24.
- One of this week’s opponents is also inside the top 25 with Auburn checking in at No. 21. The Tigers are 7-1 this season with their lone loss a 5-2 defeat in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, a team Vanderbilt defeated 4-2 two weeks ago.
- In addition to the team ranking, fifth-year senior Christina Rosca opened the season ranked No. 20 in the national singles poll. The spot makes her the second-highest ranked player in the SEC with Georgia’s Katarina Jokic at No. 16. The preseason list is the only poll released thus far by the ITA.
Elite Ranks
- With a three-set victory on Jan. 17 against Western Kentucky, Rosca earned her 100th career singles victory.
- In addition to her 100th singles win, she also earned her 200th career win across singles and doubles on Feb. 22 against LSU.
- To date throughout her career, she owns an overall 107-48 singles record.
- Combining singles and doubles, Rosca is 200-106 in her career as a Commodore thanks to her 93-58 record in doubles play.
Looking Astern
- Opening conference play on Monday against No. 23 LSU, Vanderbilt dropped a 4-2 decision to the Tigers.
- Rosca played a role in both of Vanderbilt’s points in the match, helping the Dores win doubles while claiming the lone Commodore singles win on the day.
A New Captain
- Over summer, Aleke Tsoubanos took over as the program’s head coach after 13 seasons on staff as an assistant coach.
- With Tsoubanos taking over, Geoff Macdonald remains on staff as the program’s assistant coach.
- One of the most-respected college coaching duos in the country, Tsoubanos and Macdonald led the Commodores to the program’s first national championship in 2015. The pair has also ushered the Dores to 236 wins, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back SEC Tournament and regular-season titles in 2017-18.
- Tsoubanos’s first dual-match victory came Jan. 17 in a 7-0 sweep of Western Kentucky and her first win over a ranked opponent came when the Dores beat N0. 9 Georgia Tech on the road Feb. 12.
Badges of Honor
- Holly Staff earned the first SEC Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 28.
- Since earning the honor, she has continued the dominant start to her collegiate career with a 12-3 mark across singles and doubles this spring.
A Look Back at 2019-20
- Last season, Vanderbilt went 7-3 across 10 matches with a 3-1 mark in conference play before the remainder of the year was canceled due to COVID-19. Two of those losses were by 4-3 scorelines against Arizona State and No. 36 LSU.
- Rosca won each of her last five matches of the season, finishing the spring campaign with an 8-2 record and a 6-1 mark at No. 1 singles.
- Cruz also had a strong debut season, going 5-1 on the year – all at No. 5 singles – before the shutdown.
On The Radar
- After the two Alabama programs come through Nashville this weekend, Vanderbilt will head out for its first SEC road matches with visits to Arkansas and Missouri on March 5 and 7, respectively. First serve against the Razorbacks is set for 3 p.m. with first ball against the Tigers scheduled for noon.
