NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A furious rally in singles play allowed No. 15 Vanderbilt to defeat No. 10 Ohio State 5-2 in a key nonconference match held Sunday on the outdoor courts at Currey Tennis Center.
After falling behind 1-0 to the Buckeyes in doubles play, the Commodores got wins at Dasha Kourkina, Anna Ross and Georgia Drummy before senior Christina Rosca sealed the team triumph with a victory at No. 1 singles.
Another senior, Emma Kurtz, provided the closing Vanderbilt point.
“A fantastic win today against a great opponent,” Vanderbilt head coach Geoff Macdonald said. “It was a total team effort but the seniors were brave and determined when the match hung in balance.”
The victory marks the second straight for Macdonald’s Vanderbilt squad following a 4-1 win over Miami (Fla.) on Feb. 8.
The dominant win over Ohio State gives the Commodores added momentum as they enter Southeastern Conference play against LSU on Feb. 28.
The Commodores fell behind early after Ohio State doubles duos of Kolie Allen and Irina Cantos and Isabelle Boulais and Danielle Wolf defeated their Vanderbilt counterparts to claim the doubles point.
In singles, the Commodores started slow but bounced back with freshman Kourkina putting the Dores on the scoreboard with an impressive 6-4, 6-2 win over Luna Dormet at No. 6 singles.
Tying the match for the Dores, sophomore Drummy made a comeback at No. 2 after falling in the first set to claim the match 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Freshman Ross put the Commodores in the lead 3-2 with a gritty 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory at No. 4 over Kolie Allen.
Clinching the match for the Commodores, Rosca claimed the deciding match point. Rosca secured the first set 6-4, but fell in the second 2-6 forcing a third set.
Rosca outlasted her Buckeye opponent 6-4 in the third set to clinch the match for the Commodores.
CLINCH ‼️
.@chrisrosca clinches the match for the Commodores with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win at No. 1. #FightDores | #AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/M5vjU80iNw
— Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis (@VandyWTennis) February 16, 2020
Both teams decided to play the match out where senior Kurtz defeated Isabelle Boulais in a thrilling 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory to mark the final score 5-2 over the Buckeyes.
The Commodores will return to action Feb. 28 to kick off SEC play.
Follow along with the Commodores by following @VandyWTennis on Twitter and Instagram.
