|
No. 6 Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis Defeats No. 68 Iowa, 7-0 2/22/2004 NASHVILLE — The sixth-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team scored its fifth shutout victory over a ranked opponent this season, blanking No. 68 Iowa, 7-0, at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center Sunday. The Commodores won a tight doubles point and then put the match away with three quick straight-set wins in singles action. The Hawkeyes only brought five healthy student-athletes to Nashville and were forced to default third doubles and sixth singles, giving Vanderbilt a 1-0 lead before the first ball had been struck. The Commodores only needed to capture one doubles match to that a second point, but were able to take the sweep in a pair of close matches. Juniors Audra Falk and Annie Menees, ranked No. 28 in the nation and playing on center court for the first time together, defeated Meg Racette and Hillary Mintz of Iowa, 9-7. Sophomore Ashley Schellhas and freshman Amanda Fish teamed up at second doubles to defeat Chelsea Glynn and Anastasia Zhukova, 8-6, and give Vanderbilt a 2-0 team lead. In singles play, Menees posted a shutout, defeating Deni Alexandrova at fifth singles, 6-0, 6-0. Minutes later, the match was clinched for the Commodores when Fish finished off Iowa’s Glynn, 6-2, 6-0. Vanderbilt would also earn straight-set wins at second and fourth singles. Senior Kelly Schmandt upped her team-best dual-match record to 10-0, defeating the Hawkeyes’ Mintz, 6-1, 6-4. Schellhas took an easy first set at fourth singles, 6-2, and then fought back from a deficit in the second set to force a tiebreaker, which she won, 8-6. The Commodores (9-1) open Southeastern Conference play next weekend with a trip to the Magnolia State. Vanderbilt will play in Oxford on Friday against No. 31 Ole Miss, and then travel to Starkville on Sunday to take on Mississippi State. No. 6 Vanderbilt def. No. 68 Iowa, 7-0 Doubles Singles |
