COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 28 Vanderbilt got off to a quick start in doubles Friday afternoon and never looked back from there, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 victory over Ball State.
With the win, Vanderbilt has now reached at least the second round in 11 consecutive tournaments and 25 times in the 26 tournaments going back to 1995.
“We got off to a great start at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles and took some early momentum at the start of singles,” said head coach Aleke Tsoubanos. “Really happy to see Christina Rosca add another milestone to her illustrious career with her 100th career doubles victory today. We’re excited to be playing in another regional final tomorrow with the opportunity to get to Orlando.”
ADVANCE‼️
Moving on to the second round, where we’ll meet the winner of (15) Ohio State and UIC.#AnchorDown | #NCAATennis pic.twitter.com/2YsrEFDD3z
— Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis (@VandyWTennis) May 7, 2021
In doubles action, 63rd-ranked Emma Kurtz and Marcella Cruz breezed through their competition at No. 2 with a 6-0 victory. Shortly after, Rosca and Anessa Lee clinched the doubles point for the Commodores with a 6-2 win at No. 3 to give Rosca her 100th career doubles victory in black and gold.
In singles action, Vanderbilt won every first set across the six courts on the way to victory. No. 43 Rosca doubled Vanderbilt’s advantage with a quick 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 1 over Emma Peeler. The victory marked her 113th singles win at Vandy, putting her alone in fourth place for career singles wins while standing just one triumph away from tying Julie Ditty for third-most in program history.
Closing the afternoon, multiple Commodores had match points on their racquets and had the chance to put the match away, but it was Lee’s 6-2, 6-3 win over Mariya Polishchuk at No. 3 that gave Vanderbilt a 3-0 lead before Kurtz clinched Vandy’s spot in the second round with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Jessica Braun at No. 2.
Vanderbilt advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for a matchup with 15th-seeded Ohio State. First serve is set for 11 a.m. CT. With a win, Vanderbilt would advance to the Sweet 16 for the 21st time and the seventh-straight tournament.
Results
Singles
1. #43 Christina Rosca (VANDY) def. Emma Peeler (BALLST) 6-1, 6-1
2. Emma Kurtz (VANDY) def. Jessica Braun (BALLST) 6-4, 6-2
3. Anessa Lee (VANDY) def. Mariya Polishchuk (BALLST) 6-2, 6-3
4. Anna Ross (VANDY) vs. Rebecca Herrington (BALLST) 6-0, 6-6 (7-8), unfinished
5. Marcella Cruz (VANDY) vs. Amy Kaplan (BALLST) 6-3, 5-3, unfinished
6. Holly Staff (VANDY) vs. Emily Desai (BALLST) 7-5, 4-1, unfinished
Doubles
1. #28 Anna Ross/Holly Staff (VANDY) vs. Amy Kaplan/Emma Peeler (BALLST) 1-4, unfinished
2. #63 Emma Kurtz/Marcella Cruz (VANDY) def. Jessica Braun/Mariya Polishchuk (BALLST) 6-0
3. Christina Rosca/Anessa Lee (VANDY) def. #88 Victoria Sec/Livia Lukacs (BALLST) 6-2
Match Notes:
Ball State 22-4
Vanderbilt 14-9; National ranking #28
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,3,2)
NCAA Tournament First Round
Official: Julio Colon T-2:02
