WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – For the fourth season in a row, Vanderbilt women’s tennis is Final Four-bound.
The Commodores used a workman-like approach on Saturday at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex to advance past 21st-ranked and unseeded Florida State, 4-0, in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.
The victory sets up a Final Four matchup between the Commodores (26-3) and Georgia Tech at 9 a.m. CT on Monday morning. Saturday’s win was the Commodores fifth-straight sweep, and 15th top-25 win of the season. Vanderbilt has only given up two team points over its last seven competitions.
Vanderbilt earned its 14th-straight doubles point on the season Saturday evening, picking up victories on courts two, then one in tandems.
69th-ranked Emma Kurtz and Emily Smith were first off the court in the quarterfinal matchup, easing by Florida State’s Julia Mikulski and Andrea Garcia. Up 3-0, the Commodores gave FSU its lone game of the match on their way to a 6-1 victory.
Leading in a close 3-2 battle, No. 11 Astra Sharma and Fernanda Contreras put their foot on the gas and took three games in a row to clinch the doubles advantage for Vanderbilt. The victory against the Seminoles’ Carla Touly and Ariana Rahmanparast extends the tandem’s win streak to seven-straight matches.
The Commodores continued dominant tennis heading into singles play, taking first sets on all six courts, including a 7-6(5) first-set tiebreaker by Meyer on court four. All of Vanderbilt’s victories came in straight sets.
10th-ranked Contreras gave VU the one point edge, taking her second NCAA singles win of the season for her 99th-career victory and 38th singles win of the year. With the 6-1, 6-1 win against No. 122 Petra Hule, the Commodore sits one win away from tying Vanderbilt’s single season win record.
On fire in the NCAA portion of the postseason, No. 11 Sharma earned her 13th NCAA tournament victory (13-1) to extend Vanderbilt’s lead to 3-0. The redshirt-senior from Perth, Australia earned her seventh top-25 victory in 2018 against No. 19 Touly on court one, 6-3, 6-1.
Summer Dvorak clinched Vanderbilt’s fourth-straight Final Four, coming up big for the Black and Gold at the No. 6 singles position. Dvorak has come accustomed to big moments for Vanderbilt, as the junior was first off the court in VU’s SEC tournament championship and clinched the Dores’ SEC regular season title over Florida in Gainesville, Fla. The Californian downed the Noles’ Garcia 6-4, 6-0 to advance VU into Monday’s Final Four.
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Doubles
- #11 Astra Sharma/Fernanda Contreras (VANDERBILT) def. #56 Carla Touly/Ariana Rahmanparast (FLORIDA STATE) 6-2
- #69 Emma Kurtz/Emily Smith (VANDERBILT) def. Julia Mikulski/Andrea Garcia (FLORIDA STATE) 6-1
- Christina Rosca/Amanda Meyer (VANDERBILT) vs. Gabriella Castaneda/Petra Hule (FLORIDA STATE) 4-2, unf.
Singles
- #11 Astra Sharma (VANDERBILT) def. #19 Carla Touly (FLORIDA STATE) 6-3, 6-1
- #10 Fernanda Contreras (VANDERBILT) def. #122 Petra Hule (FLORIDA STATE) 6-1, 6-1
- #44 Christina Rosca (VANDERBILT) vs. Nandini Das (FLORIDA STATE) 6-1, 5-2
4 Amanda Meyer (VANDERBILT) vs. Gabriella Castaneda (FLORIDA STATE) 7-6(5), 2-3
- Emma Kurtz (VANDERBILT) vs. Ariana Rahmanparast(FLORIDA STATE) 6-0, 5-5, unf.
- Summer Dvorak (VANDERBILT) vs. Andrea Garcia (FLORIDA STATE) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles: (1,2) Singles (2,1,6)
