May 7, 2007
Video Interview: Head Coach Cathy Swezey | Video: Senior Jennifer Tapscott
 |
|
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team will play host to Syracuse on Sunday, May 13, at 1 p.m. CT, in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament.
The eighth-seeded Commodores (11-5), making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in six years, are hosting a postseason contest for the first time in school history.
“We have had such a great year,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “Seeing us compete all year has been exciting, and I felt confident that we would get an opportunity at the postseason. We put together our best regular-season record ever, and have worked hard to get to this point.”
Vanderbilt’s 11 regular-season wins are the most in school history, breaking a mark tied five times in the program’s 12-year existence (10 regular-season wins in 1996, ’97, 2000, ’02 and ’04). The Commodores have a 2-2 record all-time in the tournament, having advanced to the NCAA Final Four with wins over Loyola and James Madison in 2004. Six members of this year’s team were freshmen that season.
“Our seniors know what it takes to get to the Final Four,” added Swezey, now in her 10th season at the helm of the Commodores. “They understand the preparation and hard work — there’s a lot of practice leading up to one game, which is tough at this time of the year. But they know what goes into it, and I know their leadership will be second-to-none.”
The ninth-seeded Orange (12-5) earned an automatic berth into the 16-team field by winning the BIG EAST Championship on April 29. Syracuse is 0-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament games.
The Orange boast the second-most prolific offense in the nation, averaging 15.47 goals per game. Sophomore Katie Rowan leads the team with 53 goals on the year.
The winner of the Vanderbilt-Syracuse contest will face either top-ranked Northwestern or Patriot League champion Holy Cross on Saturday, May 19. The following weekend, the NCAA Final Four will be hosted at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, May 25 & 27.
Vanderbilt is one of three teams from the American Lacrosse Conference to receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament, along with Northwestern and seventh-seeded Johns Hopkins. All three ALC teams will be hosting first-round contests.
No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Virginia, No. 4 Penn, No. 5 Maryland and No. 6 North Carolina round out the top eight seeds. The tournament field includes five teams from the Commodores’ 2007 regular season slate.
NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Tournament
First Round Pairings
Sunday, May 13
Nashville, Tenn.
No. 8 Vanderbilt
vs. Syracuse
Evanston, Ill.
No. 1 Northwestern
Holy Cross
College Park, Md.
No. 5 Maryland
Yale
Philadelphia, Pa.
No. 4 Penn
Boston University
Charlottesville, Va.
No. 3 Virginia
Princeton
Chapel Hill, N.C.
No. 6 North Carolina
Richmond
Baltimore, Md.
No. 7 Johns Hopkins
Hofstra
Durham, N.C.
No. 2 Duke
Le Moyne
