March 4, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 14th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team looks to get back on the right track Wednesday as it travels to Atlanta to face second-ranked and defending national champion Georgia Tech at the Bill Moore Tennis Center.
“Obviously, we lost a heartbreaker lost Sunday, but I was so proud of how the team fought,” Vanderbilt women’s tennis head coach Geoff Macdonald said. “We’re looking forward to trying to get better. This is a great opportunity to play a very good team.”
The Commodores are coming off a pair of losses to open Southeastern Conference play. Vanderbilt dropped a 5-2 decision at No. 7 Florida last Friday, and then lost a hard-fought 4-3 contest at No. 30 South Carolina on Sunday.
Georgia Tech enters the match with a 9-2 overall record and 1-0 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Earlier in the season, the Yellow Jackets won their second-consecutive ITA National Women’s Team Indoors Championship. Georgia Tech has seven players ranked nationally in singles, including two in the top six. Amanda McDowell is the highest ranked Yellow Jacket, coming in at No. 4. Kristi Miller is ranked sixth in the country in singles. The Yellow Jackets also have two doubles teams ranked in the top 20, including Miller and Kirsten Flower who are ranked 16th in the country.
“They have a seasoned, very, very tough team,” Macdonald added. “It’s going to be a tough match. We’re looking forward to facing them.”
Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech met last year in one of the biggest wins of 2007 for the Commodores. The Black and Gold upset the third-ranked Yellow Jackets 5-2 last year in Nashville. The Commodores lead the overall series against the Yellow Jackets 9-2, including winning seven of the last eight meetings between the two schools.
First serve at the Bill Moore Tennis Center is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (CST). A complete recap from the match will be available on vucommodores.com.