Sept. 23, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Coming off their 11th-straight Sweet 16 finish at the NCAA Championships, the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team is looking for even better things in 2008-09. The Commodores will face the challenge of replacing three seniors from last year’s team that posted a 20-6 record.
Vanderbilt finished the year ranked No. 10 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. It was the fifth time in head coach Geoff Macdonald’s tenure that it closed out the season ranked inside the top-10.
The Commodores know that they have big shoes to fill after losing two-time All-American Amanda Taylor and the school’s all-time, singles wins leader in Taka Bertrand to graduation. The 2008-09 team will turn to its four returning players for leadership. Senior Courtney Ulery, and juniors Catherine Newman and Hannah Blatt with sophomore Keilly Ulery look to be team leaders as they welcome four new faces to the squad.
“I believe Courtney, Catherine, Hannah and Keilly will step up and lead this team,” said Macdonald. “I think they will play an instrumental role in helping teach the freshman the ropes of playing in the Southeastern Conference.
“My goal for this year’s team is to have all eight players improve on all phases of the game so they can have personal best seasons.”
The Commodores lone senior Courtney Ulery hopes to close out her career on a high note. The Wellington, Fla., native is coming off a solid junior season where she was ranked as high as No. 13 nationally after recording a school-record 20 consecutive singles wins.
“Courtney has proved to me that she can play with anyone in the country, and as the lone senior I see her leading this young team far into the postseason,” Macdonald said.
“With Courtney’s strong work ethic, I see her having a great opportunity to qualify for the NCAA singles tournament.”
Newman enters the spring season as the early favorite to play the No. 1 singles slot for the Commodores. Newman is coming off a strong sophomore campaign where she posted a 16-8 dual record, garnering second-team All-SEC honors. She enters her junior campaign as the only member of 2009 squad to play in two NCAA singles championships.
“I think Catherine could emerge as one of the best players in the country this year,” Macdonald said. “She has worked very hard on all phases of her game, and I am looking forward to her junior year.”
Blatt rejoined the Commodore squad at the beginning of the 2008 spring season after sitting out the fall. Gaining experience last spring, Blatt will be a major contributor in 2009.
“Hannah improved tremendously last spring and is one of the hardest workers on the team,” Macdonald said. “She will have a lot of opportunities this season, and we look for her to make a big contribution.”
Sophomore Keilly Ulery is coming off a sensational collegiate debut where she was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after posting a team-best 9-2 record in conference play. Ulery was named SEC Freshman of the Week after her comeback win over Kentucky’s Whitney Spencer. The sophomore took her game to new heights this summer, recording wins over some of the nation’s best amateur players.
“Keilly had one of the most impressive summer’s of tennis that I have seen,” Macdonald said. “She really made a statement when she defeated a former NCAA champion.
“Last year was her year to get her feet wet, and now that she has a year of experience I think she could have an outstanding season.”
After losing a lot of experience to graduation, Macdonald and assistant coach Aleke Tsoubanos brought in one of the most decorated recruiting classes in the country. Tennisrecruiting.net ranked the class as the fifth-best in the nation.
“I think this is one of the most talented recruiting classes that we have had since I have been here,” Macdonald said. “The four of them are an exciting group and they really want to get better in practice. All of the newcomers have achieved at a high level in both doubles and singles.”
Four freshmen join the Commodores in 2008-09, as Chelsea Preeg, Heather Steinbauer, Erica Robertson and Jackie Wu make their collegiate debuts.
Preeg established herself as one of the nation’s best junior players during her prep years, holding a No. 6 national ranking in the Girls 18 division. The Naples, Fla., native won the Florida State Girls 18-and-under Championship at the age of 14.
“Coach Tsoubanos and I identified Chelsea as one of the top junior players in the country the last few years, and we feel very fortunate to have her at Vanderbilt,” Macdonald said.
Seinbauer, a Texas State Champion, joins the Commodores after being ranked as the top player in the Lone Star State. The Woodlands, Texas native finished her junior career ranked among the nation’s top 30. In May 2007, Steinbauer reached the finals of the Junior National Open.
“One thing that stands out about Heather is her athletic ability and competitiveness,” Macdonald said. “We identified her as a diamond-in-the-rough player and are looking forward to having her on our team.”
Robertson enters her freshman year as the top-ranked player out of the New England region in the Girls 18s division. The Watertown, Mass., native has seen early success on the International Tennis Federation circuit, advancing to the doubles quarterfinals in the South Carolina region.
“Erica is a tremendously gifted doubles player who will add immediate depth to our team,” Macdonald said. “I believe she will be one of the most improved players in the country this year.”
Holmdel, N.J., native Jackie Wu joins the other three blue-chip recruits to round out the class. Wu displayed a lot of success playing as an amateur in professional tournaments.
“Jackie has played a lot of professional tennis as an amateur,” Macdonald said. “She is a superb technical player who has done very well on the futures circuit. I think she will have an immediate impact to our team.”
Over the past 14 years, Macdonald has set the bar high for his teams and this year’s team is no different. Even though the Commodores display a lot of youth on paper, he expects his team to compete at a high level.
“We have been so close to an SEC Championship, and one of our goals this season is to win an SEC Conference Championship,” he said. “By the end of the year, we hope to put ourselves in a position to be a Final Four team.”