NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team is set to open its 2022 spring season with a trip to Miami for the Miami Spring Invite starting Friday and running through Sunday.
The invitational features four Power Five teams with the Commodores scheduled to play a trio of ranked teams in defending national champion and top-ranked Texas, eighth-ranked North Carolina State and No. 24 Miami.
The Commodores finished last season with a 14-10 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before dropping a 4-3 match to Ohio State.
Selected to finish ninth in the Southeastern Conference women’s tennis coaches’ preseason poll, the Dores come into the 2022 season with extra motivation.
Debriefing
Vanderbilt returns five members of last season’s squad in juniors Marcella Cruz and Anna Ross. Sophomores Dasha Kourkina, Anessa Lee and Holly Staff also return to the Commodores after strong freshman seasons.
Vandy has added depth to its roster with the addition of Yufei Long and MaryAnn Rompf, a pair of graduate transfers, as well as freshmen Célia-Belle Mohr and Amy Stevens.
ITA Rankings
Three individuals are ranked heading into the start of the season in Cruz (96th), Lee (112th) and Staff (119th).
Two doubles teams rank among the top in collegiate tennis as Cruz and Staff sit 36th nationally and Lee and Staff are ranked 57th.
On The Radar
Following their trip to Miami, the Dores open their dual meet season at home against Middle Tennessee State at 11 a.m. on Jan. 21.
Second Season
Head coach Aleke Tsoubanos enters her second year at the helm of the Dores in 2022.
In her first year as head coach, Tsoubanos led her team to a 14-10 record and second round berth in the NCAA Tournament.
A former student-athlete for Vandy, she spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach before taking over in 2020-21.
