No. 15 Vanderbilt Commodores (0-0)
vs.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (0-0)
Jan. 17, 2020 • 1 p.m. CT
Currey Tennis Center • Nashville, Tenn.
Opening the Season
- Vanderbilt kicks off its 2021 season Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. against Western Kentucky at Currey Tennis Center.
- Due to COVID-19 protocols and social distancing guidelines, fans are not permitted to attend Sunday’s match.
- Fans can follow the match via live stream, live scoring or on Twitter by following @VandyWTennis.
ITA Rankings
- The Commodores open the 2021 campaign ranked No. 15 in the country. Three SEC teams start the year in the top 15 with Georgia at No. 8 and South Carolina at No. 14.
- In addition to the team ranking, fifth-year senior Christina Rosca opens the season ranked No. 20 in the national singles poll. The spot makes her the second-highest ranked player in the SEC with Georgia’s Katarina Jokic at No. 16.
Debriefing
- Vanderbilt returns experience while welcoming strong newcomers to the fold in what should setup a successful 2021 campaign.
- Led by fifth-year seniors Rosca and Emma Kurtz, the Dores also welcomed Holly Staff and Anessa Lee to the program ahead of the 2020 fall season. Across the three tournaments, Staff and Lee led Vanderbilt with five singles wins apiece.
A New Captain
- Over summer, Aleke Tsoubanos took over as the program’s head coach after 13 seasons on staff as an assistant coach.
- With Tsoubanos taking over, Geoff Macdonald remains on staff as the program’s assistant coach.
- One of the most-respected college coaching duos in the country, Tsoubanos and Macdonald led the Commodores to the program’s first national championship in 2015. The pair has also ushered the Dores to 236 wins, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back SEC Tournament and regular-season titles in 2017-18.
- Sunday’s match marks the first dual match for Tsoubanos as head coach.
Looking Astern
- Last season, Vanderbilt went 7-3 across 10 matches with a 3-1 mark in conference play before the remainder of the year was canceled due to COVID-19. Two of those losses were by 4-3 scorelines against Arizona State and No. 36 LSU.
- Rosca won each of her last five matches of the season, finishing the spring campaign with an 8-2 record and a 6-1 mark at No. 1 singles.
- Marcella Cruz also had a strong debut season, going 5-1 on the year – all at No. 5 singles – before the shutdown.
On The Radar
- After a visit from the Hilltoppers on Sunday, Vanderbilt will play two matches next week in visiting Middle Tennessee State on Saturday, followed by a Sunday home match against Memphis. Both matches are set to start at noon.