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Women’s Tennis Hosts Magnolia State Rivals 3/3/2005 The No. 6 Vanderbilt women’s tennis team kicks off its 2005 SEC slate as it plays host to both Ole Miss and Mississippi State this weekend at the Currey Tennis Center. The Commodores enter the weekend festivities taking eight of their last nine matches, including seven of eight against ranked opponents. The first challenge facing Head Coach Geoff Macdonald’s Dores is a Friday afternoon date with No. 64 Ole Miss. The Rebels hit the hardcourts on West End clutching a 6-2 record in dual-match play. Away from Oxford, the Rebels have split matches, downing MTSU 6-1, but falling to No. 48 South Alabama, 4-3. The 2005 version of the Rebels features six underclassmen, including four freshmen. Head Coach Mark Beyers’ club is led by the ITA’s No. 34, senior Chloe Carlotti. Thus far in 2005, Carlotti posts an 8-0 record at the No. 1 singles position. The UM senior has also chalked up a 7-1 effort in the doubles draw with partner Virginia Tomatis. As a team, the Rebels currently own an impressive 38-10 record in the singles draw as well as garnering an 18-6 mark in doubles. “Year in and year out, Ole Miss is one of the best teams in the conference,” said Macdonald. “They are seasoned and well-coached. We look forward to a strong fight in our first SEC matchup of the year.” The Commodores return to action Sunday for a 2:30 p.m. matinee with the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. State makes the trip to Nashville two days after their first conference showdown with the Kentucky Wildcats. Currently, the Bulldogs are perfect on the 2005 season. Head Coach Tracy Lane’s crew posts an impressive 6-0 record, while clutching a No. 52 national ranking. State features sophomore, No. 26 Zsuzsanna Fodor. The Budapest, Hungary native is perfect in both the singles and doubles draw. Fodor post a 6-0 mark at the No. 1 singles slot, while tallying a 5-0 mark on No. 1 doubles with partner Anastasia Kugakolova. The lone ranked opponent the Bulldogs have faced thus far came in the form of No. 42 South Alabama. The Bulldogs took the match 5-2 on the strength of the doubles point and four singles victories. The Commodores enter the SEC schedule coming off perhaps its most impressive outing of 2005. Last Saturday, VU blanked No. 23 Georgia Tech, 7-0 at the Currey Tennis Center. With the sweep of the Yellow Jackets, the Commodores improved their imposing team singles mark to 47-11. In doubles action, the Dores post an impressive 22-8 record, with eight doubles point triumphs. The Commodores kick off the SEC season with Ole Miss on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The Dores return to the Currey Tennis Center Sunday to take on the Bulldogs at 2:30 p.m. |
