Sept. 22, 2017
GREENVILLE, S.C. – On Friday morning, the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team opened play one of the most competitive fall tournaments of the year, the Debbie Southern Fall Classic.
The Dores are one of 11 teams in this weekend’s competition, with all 11 squads making last season’s NCAA tournament. Vandy opened the day with two rounds of doubles, and closed Friday’s action with one round of singles.
VU’s No. 17 doubles team of Fernanda Contreras and Emily Smith remain undefeated on the fall (4-0), picking up victories against opponents from Florida State then Clemson. Against FSU, the tandem limited Rahmanparast and Das to two games in a 6-2 win. The Dores faced a larger challenge in their second-round match up against CU’s Riley and Schroeder. VU continued success against the Clemson duo for the second tournament in a row, defeating the pairing, 8-6. Contreras and Smith with face Tennessee’s Sadie Hammond and Tenika McGiffin in tomorrow’s flight final.
Christina Rosca and Emma Kurtz dropped their first doubles contest to Ohio State’s Fukuda/ Tyrina, 8-2. Round two was a different story for the Commodore pair, as the duo downed Texas’ Granic and Markovic with a 8-2 victory of their own. After defeating Wake Forest’s Mary Caroline Meredith and Chandler Carter in a close 8-7 tiebreaker, Amanda Meyer and Summer Dvorak fell to Furman’s Kozarov and Greene 8-6. The team will face Ole Miss’ Allie Sanford and Brooke Stevens in a third-place contest.
Vandy opened the first round of singles going 3-3. No. 47 Rosca, Dvorak and Smith all earned three-set Commodore victories and advance to tomorrow’s flight semifinals. In flight one action, VU’s highest-ranked student-athlete, Rosca, handed Ohio State’s Shiori Fokuda a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 loss. The sophomore Commodore will face UNC’s Makenna Jones tomorrow at 10 a.m.
After dropping the first set 7-5, Dvorak rebounded in her match against OSU’s Danielle Wolf, defeating the Buckeye 5-7, 6-4, 6-0. Summer will have an inner-conference test tomorrow afternoon as she faces Mississippi State’s Sara Lizariturry.
Smith earned the Dores their final victory on the day as the junior picked up a hard fought 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory over FSU’s Andrea Garcia. Smith will take on Texas’ Dani Wagland in flight six semifinals.
Saturday’s action will begin with the final round of doubles at 8 a.m. CT. Tomorrow’ singles matches will begin following the conclusion doubles play.