May 9, 2010
Interview with Coach Swezey | View NCAA Bracket
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team earned its fourth consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament Sunday and will travel to Durham, N.C., this weekend to face Duke in the first round.
The Commodores are making their sixth trip to the postseason overall. Vanderbilt played its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in 2002 at Duke, with the Blue Devils defeating the Commodores, 10-5. Two years later, Vanderbilt defeated Loyola and James Madison en route to the 2004 Final Four.
“We’re really excited,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “It’s been great to have our program show a lot of consistency. We’re constantly trying to get a little respect down here in the south, so to go four years in a row is really a great mark for our program.”
Vanderbilt went 12-5 this season, including a school-record 10-game winning streak that featured victories over a pair of NCAA Tournament teams in Boston University and Notre Dame.
The Commodores are led by an outstanding seven-member senior class. All-American Sarah Downing paced an offense which scored nearly 15 goals per game this season. Downing recently became Vanderbilt’s all-time leader in assists while also ranking in the school’s top three in goals scored.
On the opposite side of the field, All-American Alex Mundy anchors the Commodore defense in front of sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Wills. Midfielder Ally Carey, another second-year standout, is a Tewaaraton finalist after leading the Commodores in ground balls, caused turnovers and draw controls.
The tournament’s seventh seed, Duke boasts an identical record as the Commodores. Vanderbilt’s first opponent of the 2010 season, the Blue Devils won, 19-10, in Nashville on Feb. 14.
“We played Duke early in the season and certainly had a few kinks to work out following that game,” Swezey said. “We feel like we’ve made a lot of adjustments this Spring that allowed us to be a lot better as a team. Obviously, [Duke is] a tournament-ready team. They’re always strong in postseason, but we’re looking forward to the chance to get another shot at them.”
The winner of the Vanderbilt-Duke game on Sunday, May 16, will play either Northwestern or Notre Dame in the tournament’s second round the following weekend. The Final Four is scheduled for May 28 & 30 at Towson University.
2010 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship Field
1. Maryland (18-1) vs. Marist (10-7)
8. Penn (14-3) vs. Boston University (11-8)
4. Georgetown (13-5) vs. Syracuse (13-6)
5. James Madison (16-2) vs. Stanford (15-5)
3. North Carolina (15-2) vs. Navy (17-3)
6. Virginia (13-5) vs. Towson (13-4)
2. Northwestern (17-1) vs. Notre Dame (11-6)
7. Duke (13-5) vs. Vanderbilt (12-5)
