May 18, 2016
Live Streaming/Scoring | Tournament HQ | Interactive Bracket
TULSA, Okla.- The sixth-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team competes in its 16th-overall and third-straight NCAA Sweet 16 Thursday, May 19th at 9:00 am CT.
This is the Commodores 22nd-consecutive tournament appearance, having never attended NCAAs before head coach Geoff Macdonald took the reigns. The 2016 NCAA Tournament takes place at the University of Tulsa’s Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.
A full circle moment, the sixth-seeded ‘Dores begin the 2016 tournament one exact year after the squad brought home Vanderbilt’s first-ever tennis title (May 19, 2015).
VU takes on SEC foe, Auburn, Thursday morning for the second time this season. This will also be the second time the two teams have faced one another in NCAA play, with Vandy defeating the Tigers 4-0 in second round play in 2002. The Commodores narrowly escaped with the win against AU in the regular season, as senior Courtney Colton clinched the 4-3 victory in Nashville on April 15th.
While the ‘Dores lost the doubles point in the first competition against Auburn, the squad has been meticulously analyzing film and doubles strategies to help ensure the paramount point is awarded to the Commodores this go around.
Scouting the Tigers:
Auburn is the 11th-overall seed and is currently ranked No. 11 in the country. The Tigers field three ranked singles players with No. 20 Dikosavljevic leading the trio. In doubles, Auburn has two ranked tandems with Michaud/Burgmans ranked No. 8 in the country.
The Commodores lead the all-time series over the Tigers, 25-18.
NCAA Notes
Commodores head to program’s 16th Sweet 16:
The 6th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team punched its ticket to Tulsa, Okla., last weekend at home in Nashville, knocking off SIUE and Rice, 4-0. Vandy, the No. 6 overall seed, defeated 14 of the original 64 NCAA tournament teams during the regular season.
The Commodores will head to the Sweet 16 for the third year in a row and for the 16th time in program history. Vanderbilt will face the No. 11 Auburn Tigers in Thursday’s match, with the winner advancing to face the ACC’s UNC or the Virginia Cavaliers in the elite eight. Vanderbilt defeated Auburn 4-3 in the regular season, UVA 4-0, and has not faced UNC.
Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tourney:
Vanderbilt earned its 22nd-consecutive NCAA Tournament bid this season, hosting the first and second rounds for the third year in a row. Under Macdonald, Vanderbilt is 47-20 in NCAA postseason play, including 27-1 when playing in the Music City.
The Commodores have 16 round of 16 appearances, including a stretch of 11-straight between 1998-2008. Vandy has also reached the quarterfinals four times, semifinals three times, was the national runner-up in 2001 and the current NCAA reigning champion.
For a behind the scenes look at the NCAA tournament and for up to date information follow @VandyWTennis on twitter and @VUCommodores on SnapChat.