April 2, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 8 Vanderbilt women’s tennis team hosts its last two regular season home matches this weekend, as the Commodores face the No. 31 South Carolina Gamecocks Friday at 4:00 and the No. 6 Florida Gators Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
“We’re thrilled to be back at home and to be playing two great teams,” said head coach Geoff Macdonald. “We had really close matches with both South Carolina and Florida last year and we respect them. I urge all Vanderbilt tennis supporters to come out and watch this team compete!”
Before Friday’s match, the team will be honoring its two outstanding seniors, Ashleigh Antal and Marie Casares. Senior day festivities will begin at 3:45 pm.
“We’re really going to miss Ashleigh and Marie. They’ve helped this program return to the elite in college tennis. They’ve been through a lot and I appreciate their hard work, and their sacrifice. They’re exemplary student-athletes, who play with great sportsmanship and class. They represent our university beautifully.”
Last Time Out:
Last weekend was tremendous for the then-No. 10 Commodores. Vandy went 2-0 in the state of Alabama, defeating Auburn 6-1, and upsetting No. 9 Alabama in a 4-3 thriller. With the two wins, VU now owns a 13-5 overall record and 8-1 SEC mark. After the `Dores dropped the doubles point and one singles match against the Crimson Tide, the black and gold went on a four match win streak with senior Marie Casares clinching the Commodore victory.
Commodores in the Rankings:
Sydney Campbell leads the `Dores in singles at No. 12. Following Campbell is No. 71 Astra Sharma, No. 98 Casares, No. 100 Courtney Colton and No. 111 Frances Altick.
In doubles, Vanderbilt is the home to two doubles teams in the ITA top 25. In the latest release, Colton and Campbell come in as the No. 18 duo in the nation. Antal/Sharma follow close behind at No. 24. Antal and Casares make up with No. 50 tandem, with Altick/Sharma rounding things off at No. 67.
Scouting the Gamecocks:
South Carolina comes in at No. 31 in the latest ITA polls. With a 12-7 (4-5) mark the Gamecocks head to West End searching for their first win over Vanderbilt since the 2009-2010 season. Elixane Lechemiarounds out the ITA Top 50, boasting a 13-7 record. In doubles action Meghan Blevins and Brigit Folland are the No. 37 pairing in the country, followed by Hadley Berg and Lechemia at No. 73. Last year the Commodores defeated the Gamecocks 4-2 in Columbia, S.C.
Scouting the Gators:
Currently at the top in SEC standings, the undefeated Florida Gators come to Nashville as the No. 6 team in the nation. Sunday’s match against UF will be the Commodores’ second top-10 matchup in as many weeks. The Gators boast six student-athletes in the ITA singles poll, with No. 5 Brooke Austin leading the squad. Following Austin is No. 7 Josie Kuhlman, No. 24 Brianna Morgan, No. 37 Kourtney Keegan, No. 41 Belinda Woolcock and No. 112 Peggy Porter. Florida also has three ranked doubles teams with Austin and Keegan leading the trio at No. 8. In their last meeting, Florida defeated Vanderbilt 4-0 in the Sweet Sixteen.
Live Stats for both matches can be accessed