Jan. 19, 2010
After reaching the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year in 2009, Head Coach Cathy Swezey’s Commodores will look to advance further behind 11 returning starters and a group of seven seniors.
Vanderbilt entered the 2009 season with only five returning starters and an inexperienced team, yet managed to rise as high as 10th in the national rankings during the season.
“Going into this year, you can’t help but be excited,” said Swezey. “We only graduated one starter from our lineup. While Cara Giordano was an All-American and a great contributor, we have a lot returning.”
Among those starters returning are seniors Sarah Downing and Alex Mundy, who each received All-America and All-Conference honors in 2009. Downing set single-season school records in goals scored (55) and points (81), leading a high-powered offensive attack. On the other end of the field, Mundy was a defensive force for the Commodores as she led the team with 43 ground balls as well as recording 13 draw controls and 23 caused turnovers.
“Sarah and Alex are both returning All-Americans, which is great news for us. They will anchor the attack and the defense,” said Swezey. “Their leadership will be crucial to our success.”
Downing, Mundy, Carter Foote and Anastasia Adam were all named captains by the team for the season.
Foote started every game in 2009 for the `Dores. She was a major contributor with 36 goals and 12 assists for 48 points. “Carter is an extraordinary attacker whose game has just continued to grow every year,” remarked Swezey.
Adam is another returning midfield starter who is expected to play a big role this season. “Anastasia is a solid, all-around midfielder who does everything for us,” said the head coach.
Allie Frank and Megan Gibson will also help lead the team as seniors this season. “Allie has phenomenal speed and has really found her offensive side this past fall,” said Swezey. “Meg Gibson is the eyes and the ears of the defense and is a great leader on the defensive end.”
Last but not least among the seniors is Laura Keenan. The returning midfielder started every game as a junior last season while contributing on both sides of the field.
In the junior class, Katherine Denkler, Catherine Mitchell, and Claire Leonard return after starting in all 17 games in 2009.
“Denkler is a fast attacker who turns the corner so quickly,” commented Swezey. “Claire Leonard and Catherine Mitchell will both be critical to our success. They will do a good job locking us down on the defensive end. Emily Franke has also worked hard over the last few years to start. She has great stick skills, a good presence on defense, and plays both ends of the field equally well.”
Among the top performers of the successful 2009 season was freshman Ally Carey, who came to Vanderbilt as the No. 1 recruit in the country according to Inside Lacrosse. Carey netted 31 goals and 22 assists for 53 points to lead all newcomers. For her play, she was recognized as a second-team All-ALC performer while also being named to the womenslacrosse.com All-Rookie team.
“Ally is going to continue to be a big player for us. She is incredibly athletic and gifted. She’ll have another great year.”
Carey’s sophomore classmates will all look to expand upon their contributions in 2010. Second-year players like Natalie Wills, Alex Priddy, Courtney Kirk, Hannah Clark and Taylor Lange all earned significant minutes last season.
“All 10 sophomores will play this year. They have worked so hard to be successful.”
Wills earned the starting job between the pipes early in the season and finished with a solid 10-5 record that included 131 saves. Her performance helped her be noticed by the organizer’s of the 2009-10 U.S. Developmental Team.
Coach Swezey has continued to rave about the Kent Island, Md. native’s performance. “Natalie is coming off a really successful summer. She’s going to have a tremendous year. She’s so quick in the goal and has gotten more comfortable with coming out of the cage and making plays for us. We’re expecting significant things for her. I truly expect her to be the anchor of our defense.”
Kacie Connors, Kendall Pittinger, Alex Priddy, and Kelly Connors are each expected to play a strong role on the second midfield line for the Commodores.
With the line attack, Courtney Kirk and Hannah Clark will both be counted on to contribute. “Hannah is so fast,” remarked Swezey. “Her one-on-one speed is so tough to stop. Courtney is a quick attacker with great field vision.”
Taylor Lange and Catherine Carr will each play key roles for line defense with their strong play.
Seven freshmen will be making their debuts in 2010: Casey Bakker, Paige Cahill, Sarah Dolan, Olivia Goodman, Carly Linthicum, Katie Parsels and Chelsea Pasfield.
The Commodores will open the 2010 campaign at home against Duke on February 14 before setting out on a three-game road swing to North Carolina, UMBC and Stanford.
The 2010 season will feature three new opponents. Vanderbilt will take on Longwood, Louisville and Florida for the first time in school history.
The conference slate for the Commodores includes matchups with Penn State, Johns Hopkins, Ohio State, Florida and defending national champion Northwestern.
The home schedule for the Commodores includes seven games that feature three conference matchups in Penn State, Johns Hopkins, and Ohio State. Duke, Longwood, Louisville and Boston University will also be making trips to Nashville this season.
Vanderbilt will be travelling across the country from New York to Florida to California to play eight road games.
Ohio State will host the 2010 ALC Tournament this May. The NCAA Tournament will begin play on May 16 and culminate at the 2010 Final Four in Towson, Md.