CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – In a hotly contested match to open the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, the No. 11 Vanderbilt women’s team fell to No. 5 Cal, 4-3. With the loss the Commodores now own a 3-1 record.
“I thought we played a good doubles point,” said head coach Geoff Macdonald, “not perfect but we competed really well and got it. No. 1 doubles had some match point opportunities, but didn’t get them. Courtney [Colton] and Sydney [Campbell] just persevered and we won that point. Cal is a really good team; I give them a lot of credit.”
Out the gate Astra Sharma and Frances Altick made quick work of their match, dominating the Bear’s Cecilia Estlander and Karla Popovic, 6-0. With the victory, the duo is now on a four-match win streak dating back to the Miami Spring Invite.
No. 34 Sydney Campbell and Courtney Colton were taken to a tiebreaker, but beat the Bear’s No. 4 nationally ranked team of Maegan Manasse and Danise Starr. The 7-6(5) win solidified the doubles point for the `Dores, extending their streak to five-matches in a row.
With the doubles point in the Commodores possession the squad turned to singles play with the upper hand. But with four out of five Bear’s ranked in the ITA top-80 the Commodores new there were still challenges waiting ahead.
With her first ranked win as a Commodore, Astra Sharma added a match-point for the `Dores. The sophomore from Perth, Australia, moved up the lineup to No. 4 singles, defeating No. 64 Denise Starr, 6-3, 7-5.
“The courts are pretty quick here, Marie [Casares] is a great player, but I thought the fast courts favored Astra a little bit. Astra is working hard and I wanted to give her the opportunity to play at four. It was a great win for her and she is making progress.”
Senior No. 77 Marie Casares defeated 30th ranked Karla Popovic, 6-4, 6-2. With the third match-point obtained by Casares on court five of the Boar’s Head Sports Club the Commodores only needed one more point to move on to the next round of tournament play.
However, the tides turned for the Commodores as three matches we lost in a row on courts 3, 1, and 2 respectively.
With the match now tied at 3-all the fate of Vanderbilt rested on the shoulders of veteran junior Georgina Sellyn. Sellyn cruised through her first set defeating Cecilia Estlander, 6-0. But the Bear’s senior used the loss as momentum, defeating Sellyn in the last two sets; 6-3, 6-1.
“We’re just a little disappointed, It was an opportunity that we let slip through our fingers. Hopefully we can learn and regroup. Astra [Sharma] had a great win at No. 4 singles, and Marie at five. We’ve got two more opportunities here to try to get some wins. The key is to just be really resilient and learn the lessons overnight. We were a little too up and down emotionally; we have to be more disciplined in our shot selection, keep pressure on opponents, and not let up. We’re a great team we just have to regroup.”
With the Commodores hopes of bringing a title back to West End lost, they look to consolation play. Vanderbilt is guaranteed two more matches, which will be beneficial as the team’s sights are set on the challenges of SEC play.
No. 5 Cal (3-0) defeated No. 11 Vanderbilt (3-1) – 4-3
Feb. 6, 2015, in Charlottesville, Virginia
Boar’s Head Sports Club
Doubles
1. No. 32 Courtney Colton/Sydney Campbell (Vanderbilt) def. No. 4 Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr (Cal) – 7-6(5)
2. No. 9 Klara Fabikova/Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. Ashleigh Antal/Marie Casares (Vanderbilt) – 6-2
3. Frances Altick/Astra Sharma (Vanderbilt) def. Cecilia Estlander/Karla Popovic (Cal) – 6-0
Vanderbilt captured the doubles point.
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1*.
*Clinched the doubles point
Singles
1. No. 5 Maegan Manasse (Cal) def. No. 15 Sydney Campbell (Vanderbilt) – 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
2. No. 78 Klara Fabikova (Cal) def. Courtney Colton (Vanderbilt) – 6-4, 7-5
3. No. 14 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) def. Frances Altick (Vanderbilt) – 6-4, 6-3
4. Astra Sharma (Vanderbilt) def. No. 64 Denise Starr (Cal) – 6-3, 7-5
5. No. 77 Marie Casares (Vanderbilt) def. No. 30 Karla Popovic (Cal) – 6-4, 6-2
6. Cecilia Estlander (Cal) def. Georgina Sellyn (Vanderbilt) – 0-6, 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 1, 2, 6^.
