NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Marcella Cruz has been named SEC Newcomer of the Week for women’s tennis, the conference announced Wednesday afternoon. The honor comes after Cruz kickstarted Vanderbilt’s comeback victory at home on Sunday over Kentucky.
With the Commodores trailing 3-1, Cruz continued her stellar tennis this season by racing out to a big third-set lead on the way to a key 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Elizabeth Stevens to help Vandy complete the comeback over the 31st-ranked Wildcats. With Vanderbilt trailing 3-1 with three singles courts left, Cruz set the tone by jumping out to a 4-1 lead in the third on the way to clinching Vanderbilt’s second point while Anessa Lee and Emma Kurtz followed suit to win the match 4-3.
With Sunday’s win, Cruz is now 11-1 in dual match singles action this spring.
Vanderbilt, now ranked No. 14 in the country in this week’s Oracle/ITA rankings, will host No. 27 Texas A&M this weekend. First serve on Saturday at Currey Tennis Center is set for noon.