March 17, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 29th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team returns home for the first time in over 10 days as it plays host to No. 39 Princeton at 3 p.m., Wednesday at the outdoor courts of the Currey Tennis center. The non-conference dual match with the Tigers will be the first non-SEC opponent the `Dores have played since they defeated Yale, 6-1 on Feb. 21. Vanderbilt (4-3, 1-2 SEC) is coming off a tough 4-3 loss at No. 29 Arkansas last Sunday in Fayetteville.
The Commodores look to get back on the winning track this week after dropping its last two matches to Arkansas and Florida. Prior to the two defeats, the `Dores rolled off a four-match winning streak.
Against the Razorbacks the `Dores were once again led by the freshman trio of Chelsea Preeg, Jackie Wu and Heather Steinbauer as they all notched singles wins over their respected opponent.
After dropping the pivotal doubles point, the `Dores knew they would have to pick up four singles wins against the Razorbacks to pull of the win. VU made a strong and late push before coming up just short.
Preeg got the `Dores on the scoreboard and tied things up at 1-1 by breezing through Emily Carbone in straight sets at No.4 singles. With the win, Preeg improved to a team-best 19-6 overall and 5-1 in dual play. Similar to Preeg, Steinbauer and Wu also notched straight set wins last Sunday, pushing their records to 13-4 and 18-7, respectively.
Wednesday’s tilt with Princeton marks the second consecutive dual match for the Tigers in as many days, blanking Middle Tennessee State, 7-0 Tuesday afternoon in Murfreesboro. Princeton, (11-4), arrives to Nashville riding an impressive 6-match winning streak, including wins over No. 36 Virginia Commonwealth (W, 4-2) and No. 31 William and Mary (W, 5-2).
Princeton is led by freshman standout Lauren McHale, who plays number one singles for the Tigers. In the latest ITA ranking, McHale was rated 107th nationally. The Tigers are led in doubles by its 26th-rated tandem of Taylor Marable and Hilary Bartlett.
Live stats of tomorrows action will be available via vucommodores.com or by clicking here http://vucommodores.cstv.com/sports/w-tennis/gameday.html
Stay tuned to home of Vanderbilt athletics for further updates on the match.