NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 13 Vanderbilt women’s tennis team improved its record to 7-0 with a convincing 7-0 sweep of Middle Tennessee State (3-8) Wednesday afternoon at the Currey Tennis Center. The Commodores won each singles match in straight sets, and only gave up five games in doubles play.
“I commend MTSU for playing really hard and very spirited tennis,” Vanderbilt head coach Geoff Macdonald said. “It helped us as a team get better because they competed so hard.”
The `Dores quickly secured the doubles point for the sixth time in seven matches. Playing at the No. 1 position for the second-straight match, Amanda Taylor and Courtney Ulery disposed of Ann-Kristin Siljestrom and Elvira Yusupova 8-0. The win improved Taylor and Ulery’s doubles record to a perfect 7-0.
“They played really well,” Macdonald said. “The thing you look for is just improvement. There’s stuff we can work on in practice to get so much better. It’s so hard in practice to point stuff out, but in a match it’s much easier. We can work on those things and that will make us better going into SEC play.”
The No. 33 doubles team of Taka Bertrand and Catherine Newman secured the doubles point with an 8-3 win over Marlene Chemin and Claudia Szabo at the second doubles position. At the No. 3 doubles position, Caroline Ferrell and Keilly Ulery finished the doubles sweep with an 8-2 win over Stephanie Parkison and Shannon Hartmann.
In singles, No. 29 Taylor only gave up one game in her 6-0, 6-1 victory over Siljestrom at the No. 1 singles position. Playing at No. 4 singles, Bertrand put the Commodores up 3-0 as she defeated Szabo 6-0, 6-0. No. 48 Courtney Ulery clinched the match for the Black and Gold with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Yusupova at the third singles position.
Keilly Ulery followed her sister’s victory with one of her own at the fifth singles position. Ulery defeated Chemin 6-1, 7-5 to give Vanderbilt its fifth point. No. 43 Newman also won her match in straight sets with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Parkison at No. 2 singles. Playing at No. 6 singles, Ferrell closed out the sweep with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Pooja Kommireddi.
Vanderbilt returns to action on Friday, February 29, as it opens SEC play by traveling to Gainesville, Fla., to face No. 5 Florida. The Commodores conclude the opening weekend of SEC play in Columbia, S.C., against No. 31 South Carolina on Sunday, March 2. For more information on the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, log on to the official Web site of Vanderbilt athletics, vucommodores.com.
No. 13 Vanderbilt 7, Middle Tennessee State 0
Currey Tennis Center – Nashville, Tenn.
Singles Play:
1. No. 29 Amanda Taylor (VU) def. Ann-Kristin Siljestrom (MTSU) – 6-0, 6-1
2. No. 43 Catherine Newman (VU) def. Stephanie Parkison (MTSU) – 6-3, 7-5
3. No. 48 Courtney Ulery (VU) def. Elvira Yusupova (MTSU) – 6-3, 7-5
4. Taka Bertrand (VU) def. Claudia Szabo (MTSU) – 6-0, 6-0
5. Keilly Ulery (VU) def. Marlene Chemin (MTSU) – 6-1, 7-5
6. Caroline Ferrell (VU) def. Pooja Kommireddi (MTSU) – 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 3, 5, 2, 6
Doubles Play:
1. Amanda Taylor/Courtney Ulery (VU) def. Ann-Kristin Siljestrom/Elvira Yusupova (MTSU) – 8-0
2. No. 33 Taka Bertrand/Catherine Newman (VU) def. Marlene Chemin/Claudia Szabo (MTSU) – 8-3
3. Caroline Ferrell/Keilly Ulery (VU) def. Stephanie Parkison/Shannon Hartmann (MTSU) – 8-2
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Updated Team Records: Vanderbilt 7-0; Middle Tennessee State 3-8
