March 20, 2008
Match Notes: Auburn at Vanderbilt | Match Notes: Vanderbilt at Alabama
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 11 Vanderbilt women’s tennis team returns to conference play this weekend as it hosts No. 30 Auburn on Friday and travels to unranked Alabama on Sunday.
” Geoff Macdonald said. “We have seven more SEC matches and then the conference tournament. This is one of the strongest years in terms of competition in the league and we face two quality opponents this weekend.”
The Commodores enter the weekend with an 11-3 overall record and a 1-3 mark in conference play. The Commodores closed out the non-conference portion of their schedule last week as they defeated No. 41 Florida International 5-2. The win closed out a perfect 10-0 non-conference slate for the Black and Gold.
Senior Amanda Taylor received player of the week honors from the SEC earlier in the week. She became the third Commodore to receive the award this season. Taylor defeated two ranked opponents in singles play last week to earn the recognition. Fellow senior Taka Bertrand will also be looking to make history on Friday. If Bertrand wins her singles match against Auburn, she will become the winningest singles player in Vanderbilt history. She is currently tied with Julie Ditty for first place on the career singles wins list with 114 victories.
Auburn, currently ranked 30th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, is 12-3 overall and 3-1 in SEC play. The Tigers are one of three teams tied for the lead in the SEC’s Western Division. In their last match, the Tigers scored a 4-3 upset victory over then-No. 15 TCU.
“Auburn has a really good team,” Macdonald added. “When you get into SEC matches, the level of competition just skyrockets. We’re looking forward to competing with them.”
Auburn has one player ranked nationally in singles and one doubles team ranked. Sophomore Fani Chifchieva is ranked 24th in singles, while the tandem of Alex Haney and Melissa Koning is rated 18th in doubles.
Alabama enters the weekend with a 2-2 mark in conference matches and an overall record of 6-7. The Crimson Tide enters Sunday’s contest on a three-match winning streak, including a 7-0 sweep of Houston in their last match. Alabama is led by Tiffany Welcher, who has compiled an 8-5 dual match record in singles competition. Paulina Bigos and Meritt Emery also sport above .500 marks in singles play with records of 7-6.
“They’re young, but they are really talented,” Macdonald said. “If we have bad weather, playing them indoors is always a challenge. We approach each conference match with a lot of respect for the opponent that we are playing. We’re confident, but not cocky at all.”
Opening serve for Friday’s match against Auburn at the Currey Tennis Center is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (CT), while the match in Tuscaloosa against Alabama on Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m. (CT).