NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team closed out the final day of the June Stewart Invitational on a positive note as the Commodores won seven out of eight singles matches, including three championship wins from Chelsea Preeg, Catherine Newman and Courtney Ulery. The `Dores finished the three-day tournament with an impressive 18-6 combined singles record.
“I thought our team improved and got better each day of the tournament,” head coach Geoff Macdonald said. “We picked up some good wins in both singles and doubles this weekend against good quality opponents. We were blessed to play in nice tennis weather all weekend.”
Preeg had one of the many highlights of this year’s invitational as she defeated Kentucky’s 55th-ranked Megan Broderick in a three hour, three set final. After winning the first set 6-4, Preeg dropped the second set 3-6 to force a third set. After countless rallies and volleys the freshman from Naples, Fla., outlasted Broderick 7-5 in the third set to claim the title in the Tom Black Draw. With the win, Preeg pushes her fall season record to 8-1.
Two courts over from Preeg’s match the Commodore showdown of Newman and Jackie Wu was creating excitement of its own. The two teammates entertained the Vanderbilt crowd as they competed for an undefeated 3-0 weekend. In the end, Newman was victorious 6-3, 6-3. The win gives Newman her eighth win of the fall, tying for first on the team with Wu (8-1).
Courtney Ulery recorded her third win of the weekend by dispatching Christine Johnston of Kentucky in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.
Keilly Ulery closed out the June Stewart Invite by winning her second straight singles match as she defeated Middle Tennessee State’s Marietta Bigus in consecutive sets, 6-2, 6-1. Earlier in the day, the younger Ulery teamed up with Hannah Blatt to top the MTSU duo of Bigus and Alexandra Dachos. Following doubles action Blatt picked up her second singles win of the tournament as she cruised through Indiana’s Maria Guerreiro in straight sets.
Heather Steinbauer improved her fall mark to 5-1 Sunday by defeating William and Mary’s Lauren Sabacinski, 6-2, 6-1.
The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team will return to the courts next week as four Commodores will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to play in the ITA Southeast Regionals Oct. 22-27. The four players that will journey east include Newman, Preeg, Wu and Keilly Ulery. The six-day tournament will begin Wednesday morning at Wake Forest University.
Vanderbilt Singles Results
No. 40 Newman (VU) def. Wu (VU) 6-3, 6-3
Preeg (VU) def. No. 55 Broderick (Kentucky) 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
No. 56 C. Ulery (VU) def. Johnston (Kentucky) 7-5, 6-1
K. Ulery (VU) def. Bigus (MTSU) 6-2, 6-1
Steinbauer (VU) def. Sabacinski (William & Mary) 6-2, 6-1
Blatt (VU) def. Guerreiro (Indiana) 6-3, 6-1
Heller (Indiana) def. Robertson (VU) 6-3, 7-6(4)
Vanderbilt Doubles Results
Wu / Robertson (VU) def. Sopel / Stuckey (Indiana) 8-5
Blatt / Ulery, K. (VU) def. Bigus / Dachos (MTSU) 8-3
Preeg / Ulery, C. (VU) def. Heller / Martin (Indiana) 9-7
Fischer / Zapadalova (Indiana) def. Newman / Steinbauer (VU) 8-2
