May 1, 2007
Duvenhage (left) and Macdonald
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt men’s and women’s tennis teams are headed to the NCAA Championships, marking the seventh year in the program’s short history that both squads have earned an invitation to the tournament.
The men (10-12) earned an at-large bid and will open with Tulsa (19-6) in Baton Rouge, La. The 16th-seeded women (17-8) will host the opening rounds of the tournament for the ninth consecutive season, beginning with Murray State (16-5) on May 11 at the Currey Tennis Center.
Both sites feature SEC competition. The 21st-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols (13-10) will open the tournament with Tulsa (20-4) in Nashville, while the 15th-ranked LSU Tigers face Alcorn State (12-7) in the Baton Rouge Regional opener.
“We have some tough teams in our bracket,” VU’s No. 1 singles competitor Amanda Fish said. “But I’m glad we are hosting and excited that we might have the opportunity to face Tennessee in Nashville.”
After starting the season with a 2-5 mark, the worst in Head Coach Geoff Macdonald’s 13-year tenure, the 16th-ranked Commodores followed with a stellar 15-3 run, finishing in the semi-finals of the SEC tournament.
“We had to come a long way to get back into the Top 16,” Macdonald said. “But our team really persevered through injury and illness and took care of it.”
This will be the squad’s 13th appearance at the NCAA Championships. In 2001 the Commodores had their highest finish, taking the national runner-up position. Three years later the ‘Dores made a second trip to the Final Four in 2004.
Late in regular season play, the Vandy men cracked the ITA’s Top 30, but fell to No. 46 in recent rankings following a first round upset in the SEC tournament. The squad was officially a bubble team.
It was only fitting then that Vandy was one of the last four teams in the bracket to be announced on ESPN News Tuesday afternoon. Assistant Coach Tom Boysen sweated through the entire selection show, while Head Coach Ian Duvenhage was thankful he missed the suspense.
“I’m glad I was teaching, or I would have gone insane,” Duvenhage laughed. “I’m happy we made it. One of our goals is to build a program that is consistently one of the best in the nation. We’re taking baby steps, but we’re going in the right direction.”
In 2006, the first year of Duvenhage’s tenure, the Commodores were skipped over for the championships. 2007 marks the program’s seventh tournament visit, its highest finish coming in 2003 with a spectacular NCAA Finals appearance.
Tentative Opening Round Schedule (Not Confirmed by the NCAA):
Baton Rouge, La. – Men’s Bracket
Round 1 – Friday, May 11
10 a.m. – LSU vs. Alcorn State
1 p.m. – Vanderbilt vs. Tulsa
Round 2 – Saturday, May 12
12 p.m.
Nashville, Tenn. – Women’s Bracket – Currey Tennis Center
Round 1 – Friday, May 11
10 a.m. -Tennessee vs. Tulsa
1 p.m. – Vanderbilt vs. Murray State
Round 2 – Saturday, May 12
12 p.m.