No. 15 Vanderbilt Commodores (3-0)
vs.
Miami Hurricanes (1-0)
Jan. 30, 2021 • 10:30 a.m. CT
Continuing the Homestand
- Pushing on with the second match of its five-match homestand, No. 15 Vanderbilt is set host Miami on Saturday morning at the Currey Tennis Center. First serve is set for 10:30 a.m.
- Due to COVID-19 protocols and social distancing guidelines, fans are not permitted to attend Saturday’s match against Miami.
- Fans can follow the match via live stream, live scoring or on Twitter by following @VandyWTennis.
ITA Rankings
- The Commodores are currently ranked No. 15 in the country. The spot marks the second release in a row from the ITA placing Vanderbilt 15th.
- While three teams started the year in the top 15, two SEC teams squads are currently top 15 with Georgia at No. 7 and Vandy at No. 15.
- 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.
Elite Ranks
- With a three-set victory on Jan. 17. against Western Kentucky, Rosca earned her 100th career singles victory.
- To date throughout her career, she owns an overall 102-48 singles record.
Debriefing
- Vanderbilt returns experience while welcoming strong newcomers to the fold that have setup a successful start to the 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 and both have claimed three singles wins thus far this spring.
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.
- Tsoubanos’s first dual-match victory came Jan. 17 in a 7-0 sweep of Western Kentucky.
Looking Astern
- Completing a weekend sweep of in-state competition, Vanderbilt took down Memphis 6-1 on Sunday afternoon.
- All five of Vanderbilt’s singles wins came in straight sets with Marcella Cruz winning 6-1, 6-1 to pace the day.
Badges of Honor
- Staff earned the first SEC Freshman of the Year honor on Thursday.
- She has continued the dominant start to her collegiate career with a perfect 6-0 mark across singles and doubles this spring at Nos. 2 and 3 singles and 2 and 3 doubles.
A Look Back at 2020
- 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.
- Cruz also had a strong debut season, going 5-1 on the year – all at No. 5 singles – before the shutdown.
On The Radar
- Continuing its five-match homestand next weekend, the Dores will host Lipscomb on Saturday and ETSU on Sunday at the Currey Tennis Center.