Feb. 29, 2012
**SUNDAY’S MATCH HAS BEEN MOVED TO 12:30 PM**
The Vanderbilt Commodores start conference play this weekend with a pair of ranked SEC opponents coming to Nashville.
Vanderbilt, who slipped in the rankings despite going undefeated over the weekend, aims to start their conference play with a bang.
“They’re both great teams,” said head coach Geoff Macdonald. “The SEC is such a strong conference. The worst mistake someone can ever make is to think there’s a weak team here.
The Dores will face No. 31 Arkansas on Friday and No. 43 LSU on Sunday. Arkansas, 7-3, brings a senior-laden team, with Emily Carbone, Kate Lukomskaya, and Stephanie Roy. Junior Claudine Paulson comes in on an 8-2 streak in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots to lead her team, but the Razorbacks are 1-11 against nationally ranked teams.
Vanderbilt edged Arkansas 4-3 in their last meeting last year in Fayetteville.
LSU comes to Nashville Sunday on a four-win streak that elevated them from their No. 63 ranking to No. 43. Vanderbilt swept LSU on the road last year in a 7-0 match after coming off a loss at Florida.
“We built up some momentum last weekend with our double-header wins that we hope carries into the conference,” said assistant coach Aleke Tsoubanos. The Dores beat #53 Memphis and MTSU 6-1 in back-to-back matches last Sunday.
Vanderbilt is 8-4 so far this spring in non-conference play, with losses to four highly ranked teams in Northwestern, Notre Dame, Texas, and Michigan.
“Our four losses will make us stronger in the long run,” said Macdonald. “We learned a lot in those matches that will make us a better team in conference play.”
Friday’s match will start at 3:00 p.m. CT, while Sunday’s will begin at 12:30.
Team Rankings:
#33 Vanderbilt, 8-4
#31 Arkansas, 7-3
#43 LSU, 5-2
Dores in the Rankings:
#29 Jackie Wu
#98 Lauren Mira
#19 Jackie Wu-Lauren Mira
#50 Jackie Wu-Alex Leatu