|
Commodores Open Season With Michigan State, Virginia 1/11/2005 The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team looks to hold serve this weekend as it opens the 2005 campaign against a pair of non-conference powers at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center. Coach Geoff Macdonald’s Commodores hit the courts fresh off an NCAA semifinals appearance in 2004 and look poised for a return trip, clutching a No. 6 national ranking to begin 2005. The women’s squad will be led by the strong, senior leadership of Audra Falk and Annie Menees. Falk enters her final run with Commodores ranked No. 38 in the nation by the ITA. In the 2003-2004 season, she went 28-9 overall, with a remarkable 18-7 record at the No. 1 singles position. Menees also put up 28 wins during the 2003-2004 campaign, with 10 of those wins coming at the No. 6 singles position. Falk and Menees also are ranked No. 35 in doubles by the ITA coming into the spring. The Vanderbilt roster also features six underclassmen (four freshmen, two sophomores). Among the Commodore youth movement is sophomore Amanda Fish who was named the ITA’s 2003 Summer Circuit Player of the Year, as well as being ranked No. 116 by the same organization. The Dores’ first test of 2005 comes by way of the Big Ten Conference. The Spartans of Michigan State come to campus on Friday afternoon for their first test of the season as well. Coach Tim Bauer’s squad posted an 8-14 mark overall last season, going 3-7 in Big Ten play. In 2004, the Spartans posted an impressive 4-3 victory over then No. 58 Purdue in West Lafayette. “Michigan State is a vastly improved Big Ten team. They are very well coached and it should be a great start for both teams,” said Macdonald. The second date of the weekend pits the No. 6 Dores’ against the No. 55 Virginia Cavaliers. The ACC squad coached by Phil Rogers makes its third trip to the Music City in as many years. The Commodores got the “W” last year against the Cavaliers on their way to posting a 26-4 mark overall. “They have two world class internationals along with a great transfer from the SEC. Virginia is a loaded team. It will be fun to start the season playing such quality non-conference competition,” said Macdonald. The Cavaliers feature first year player Diana Srebovic, who comes in at No. 67 in the ITA rankings. Srebovic teams with Georgia transfer Douglas Wink to create the No. 23 doubles team as ranked by the ITA. The weekend kicks off Friday at 2:30 p.m. against Michigan State at the Currey Tennis Center. The match with Virginia is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. The Cavaliers and Spartans will compete in a neutral site match at the Currey Tennis Center at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
|
