No. 6 Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis Bounces Back To Beat Bruins, 5-2

No. 6 Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis Bounces Back To Beat Bruins, 5-2

2/8/2004 Commodores post 2-1 record at National Team Indoor Championships. MADISON, Wis. — The sixth-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team rebounded from Friday’s quarterfinal loss to defeat 11th-ranked UCLA, 5-2, in consolation action of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships Saturday at the Nielsen Tennis Center. The Commodores (6-1) were back in form, sweeping the doubles point and winning four singles matches.

Vanderbilt made sure to start off on the right foot Saturday, sweeping all three doubles matches to take an early 1-0 lead. The senior duo of Kelly Schmandt and Aleke Tsoubanos, ranked No. 2 in the nation, defeated the third-ranked pairing of UCLA’s Jackie Carleton and Lauren Fisher, 8-5. Juniors Audra Falk and Annie Menees secured the doubles point for Vanderbilt at the second position, 8-4, before sophomore Ashley Schellhas and freshman AmandaFish finished the Commodore sweep at third doubles, 8-5. No. 94 Schmandt expanded Vanderbilt’s advantage with a quick 6-2, 6-4 victory at third singles. The Bruins would try to get back in the match with a win at fifth singles, but the Dores quickly slammed their hopes. Tsoubanos, at second singles, and No. 66 Fish, at fourth, finished off a pair of straigh-set victories to clinch the decisive points for Vanderbilt. At first singles, No. 39 Falk took the first set from the 17th-ranked Carleton, 6-4. Falk would fight to five games all in both the second and third sets, but eventually fall, 7-5, 7-5. In the evening’s final match at sixth singles, Menees dropped the first set, 6-7, but then stormed back to take the next two, 6-1, 6-4, and secure VU’s fifth team point. With the victory, Vanderbilt improves its all-time record at the National Team Indoors to 15-10. The Commodores travel to Arkansas for both teams Southeastern Conference opener next Saturday, Feb. 14.  USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships
Quarterfinal Consolation
No. 6 Vanderbilt def. No. 11 UCLA, 5-2 Doubles1. No. 2 Schmandt/Tsoubanos (VU) def. No. 3 Carleton/Fisher (UCLA), 8-52. No. 28 Falk/Menees (VU) def. Bercek/Esseghir (UCLA), 8-43. Fish/Schellhas (VU) def. Gordon/McGoodwin (UCLA), 8-5Order of finish: 1, 2*, 3 Singles1. No. 17 Jackie Carleton (UCLA) def. No. 39 Audra Falk (VU), 4-6, 7-5, 7-52. Aleke Tsoubanos (VU) def. Feriel Esseghir (UCLA), 6-2, 6-33. No. 94 Kelly Schmandt (VU) def. Alex McGoodwin (UCLA), 6-2, 6-44. No. 66 Amanda Fish (VU) def. Sarah Gregg (UCLA), 6-4, 6-45. Lauren Fisher (UCLA) def. No. 77 Ashley Schellhas (VU), 6-3, 6-36. Annie Menees (VU) def. Laura Gordon (UCLA), 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4Order of finish: 3, 5, 2, 4*, 6, 1 No. 6 Vanderbilt Falls To No. 7 Washigton, 4-3
Commodores face UCLA in consolation bracket at National Team Indoors Saturday MADISON, Wis. — The sixth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores suffered their first lost of the season to seventh-ranked Washington in the quarterfinals of the National Team Indoor Championships Friday, 4-3. The Commodores will face No. 11 UCLA on Saturday in the tournament’s consolation bracket. For the first time all season, Vanderbilt failed to take the doubles point. Juniors Audra Falk and Annie Menees, ranked 28th in the nation, won their match at second doubles over Mugette Ahn and Erin Hoe, 8-5. The remaining two doubles matches also were decided by 8-5 tallies, but Vanderbilt was unable to win either. The Commodores quickly tied the match at 1-1 when freshman Amanda Fish won her match at fourth singles, 6-1, 6-0. But Vanderbilt had a hard time holding the lead. After losses at second and sixth singles, the Commodores trailed 3-1. Senior Kelly Schmandt would pull Vanderbilt back within a point with a victory at third singles, but it was not enough. Washington’s 35th-ranked Dea Sumatri defeated Vanderbilt’s 39th-ranked Audra Falk, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-2, to clinch the match for the Huskies. Sophomore Ashley Schellhas’ victory at fifth singles came too late for Vanderbilt’s cause.  The Commodores (5-1) dropped their first match of the season, and fell to 14-10 overall at the National Team Indoors. In other quarterfinal action, UCLA fell to top-seeded Stanford, 6-1. — VU —

No. 6 Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis Whips Host Wisconsin, 7-0
Commodores face seventh-ranked Washington Friday in second round of National Team Indoors.

MADISON, Wis. — The sixth-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team advanced to the second round of the USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships with a 4-0 victory over host Wisconsin Thursday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The Commodores will take on seventh-ranked Washington in the tournament’s quarterfinals, Friday at 3 p.m. CT.

Vanderbilt swept the doubles matches to take an early 1-0 lead. At third doubles, sophomore Ashley Schellhas and freshman Amanda Fish teamed up to get VU’s first win, 8-0, over Kaylan Caiati and Lexi Goldin of Wisconsin. The 28th-ranked duo of junior Audra Falk and Annie Menees clinched the point at second doubles with a 9-7 victory over Badgers Teresa Gonzaga and Shana McElroy.

Commodore seniors Kelly Schmandt and Aleke Tsoubanos, the second-ranked doubles pairing in the nation, completed the Black and Gold sweep at first doubles, winning in a tiebreaker, 9-8 (7-4), over Wisconsin’s Katie McGaffigan and Lindsay Martin.

Vanderbilt kept the pressure on the homestanding Badgers in singles play. The 39th-ranked Falk made quick work of McGaffigan at first singles, 6-1, 6-0. At third singles, No. 94 Schmandt also claimed a straight-set Commodore win, defeating Martin, 6-3, 6-1. No. 77 Schellhas put the finishing touches on Vanderbilt’s victory at fifth singles with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Caiati.

With the match won, 4-0, the remaining Commodores looked to put an exclamation point on the result. At sixth singles, Menees won her match, 6-1, 6-2. No. 66 Fish was victorious at fourth singles, 6-3, 6-1. Tsoubanos looked to finish the VU shut out at second singles. After losing the first set, 3-6, she took the second set, 6-3, before forcing a third-set tiebreaker, which she also won, 7-6 (6).

Vanderbilt (5-0) has not given up a team point all season. Under Head Coach Geoff Macdonald, the Commodores have competed in the USTA/ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships in eight of the past nine seasons. Vanderbilt took runner-up honors in 2002 and holds an all-time record of 14-9 in Madison.

USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championships
First Round
No. 6 Vanderbilt def. No. 64 Wisconsin, 7-0

Doubles
1. No. 2 Schmandt/Tsoubanos (VU) def. McGaffigan/Martin (UW), 9-8 (4)
2. No. 28 Falk/Menees (VU) def. Gonzaga/McElroy (UW), 9-7
3. Fish/Schellhas (VU) def. Caiati/Goldin (UW), 8-0

Singles
1. No. 39 Audra Falk (VU) def. Katie McGaffigan (UW), 6-1, 6-0
2. Aleke Tsoubanos (VU) def. Shana McElroy (UW), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6)
3. No. 94 Kelly Schmandt (VU) def. Lindsay Martin (UW), 6-3, 6-1
4. No. 66 Amanda Fish (VU) def. Teresa Gonzaga (UW), 6-3, 6-1
5. No. 77 Ashley Schellhas (VU) def. Kaylan Caiati (UW), 6-3, 6-3*
6. Annie Menees (VU) def. Lexi Goldin (UW), 6-1, 6-2
* – Clinched win