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No. 6 VU Faces No. 39 Rice 2/18/2005 The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team looks to stay perfect at home this season as they welcome a talented Rice squad to the Currey Tennis Center on Saturday morning. The Commodores hit the home courts two weeks after their last showing at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoors. Coach Geoff Macdonald’s crew posted a 2-1 record against a field of the nation’s elite. The Dores blanked tournament host, then No. 48 Wisconsin 7-0, while also edging No. 15 North Carolina 4-3. In the lone loss of 2005, the Commodores fell to SEC rival, Georgia, 1-4. The Saturday showdown with Rice will be the Dores first matchup in the friendly confines of the Currey Tennis Center in over a month, with the last VU home contest coming opening weekend against Michigan State and Virginia. “We’re excited about being home for a good stretch,” said VU senior Annie Menees. “We’ve been traveling a lot lately and it’s nice to be home to start the SEC season.” Thus far in 2005 the Dores are 6-1, with six of those matchups coming against teams ranked in the top-60 nationally. The No. 39 Rice Owls represent the seventh ranked team to face-off against the Commodores. Overall, the Owls post a 6-0 record in 2005, with impressive wins over both No. 52 Maryland (5-2) and No. 23 LSU (4-3). “Rice is one of the most improved teams in the country,” said Macdonald. “They beat LSU earlier in the year. It will definitely be a great match for us and we are looking forward to it.” The Commodores head into the match focused on winning its sixth doubles point in its first eight matches. In singles, the Dores post an impressive 2005 mark of 30-10, with freshmen Caroline Ferrell and Amanda Taylor leading the team with six victories apiece. “It will be great to be home,” said Macdonald. “We learned a lot on the road and we are a much improved team since our last home match. I urge our fans to come out and see us on Saturday.” The matchup between the Commodores and the Owls is slated to begin Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the Currey Tennis Center. |
