ATHENS, Ga. — For the third season in a row, the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team will extend its stay in the NCAA Tournament. The Dores defeated No. 13/13th-seeded California, 4-1, on Friday to clinch a spot in the Elite Eight.
The black and gold (23-5) next faces 12th-seeded Pepperdine on Sunday no earlier then 1 p.m. CT. The Waves upset host and fifth-seeded Georgia in the Sweet 16, 4-3. Vandy and Pepperdine have squared off once in NCAA Tournament play, with the Waves taking the match in the team’s first-ever NCAA appearance, 5-1, in 1995.
Vandy’s fight to the Elite Eight was no easy task as it was forced to power back in doubles and singles for the victory.
Cal earned the first win on the day, taking court one over top-ranked Astra Sharma and Emily Smith. Down 5-2, the Vandy duo went up a break, however No. 34 Maegan Manasse and Maya Jansen earned a match-deciding deuce point for the lead, 6-4.
Playing phenomenal tennis, Fernanda Contreras and Christina Rosca earned a 4-1 advantage before Cal’s Denise Starr and Maria Smith began to chip away at the lead by holding serve on two deuce points. Contreras/Rosca leveled the doubles point with a 6-3 victory and the team’s 10th dual match win.
With the tandems point advantage hanging in the balance, the crowd’s attention turned to court two as Sydney Campbell and Emma Kurtz and Cal’s 55th-ranked duo of Olivia Hauger and Karla Popovic stood tied 5-all. In a match riddled with deuce points, VU held serve then broke for the 7-5 ranked win.
There you go VU! Twos come back to clinch the doubles point, 7-5! #NCAATennis #FIGHTDORES pic.twitter.com/mnno4ftPp4
— Vandy Women’s Tennis (@Vandywtennis) May 19, 2017
In singles, Vandy found itself in first-set holes on courts one and two, all while taking the remainder of the first sets in extremely tight competitions. All of the Commodores’ victories came in straight sets.
The Bears tied the match, 1-all, with a victory on court five over redshirt-senior Georgina Sellyn. The Commodores’ senior fought hard through the first set, with Maya Jansen picking up crucial games late. The Cal Bear secured her team its lone point of the outing, 6-4, 6-3.
At the No. 6 position, No. 87 Contreras gave Vandy the 2-1 edge by only allowing Maria Smith five games in a spirited 6-3, 6-2 win. The Austin, Texas native improves to 16-1 on the season while playing on court six.
No. 15 Campbell extended the Dores’ lead to 3-1. The recent Vandy grad from Franklin, Tenn. rallied from a 4-1 deficit to take five additional games in a row for the first set, 6-4. Campbell only allowed her opponent, No. 10 Karla Popovic, one additional game to complete the upset on court two, 6-4, 6-1.
Freshman and No. 102 Rosca earned a ranked win herself with a match-clinching performance against No. 123 Starr. After taking the first set advantage, 7-5, the Princeton, N.J. native allowed only one more game from Starr before clinching the final point. That sparked a euphoric embrace from her Vanderbilt teammates as they celebrated a return to the Elite Eight.
Chris clinches Vandy’s spot in the Elite Eight over Starr; 7-5, 6-1! #NCAATennis #FIGHTDORES pic.twitter.com/19tN6PQ0eQ
— Vandy Women’s Tennis (@Vandywtennis) May 19, 2017
At the conclusion of the match, Kurtz was leading Olivia Hauger in a close 6-4, 4-3 competition on court four, while No. 4 Sharma trailed No. 34 Manasse, 4-6, 6-6.
For updates and a behind the scenes look at the Dores’ NCAA tourney experience, follow @VandyWTennis on Twitter and Instagram.
Results:
Doubles
- #34 Maegan Manasse/Maya Jansen (CALIFORNIA) def. #1 Astra Sharma/Emily Smith (VANDERBILT), 6-4
- Sydney Campbell/Emma Kurtz (VANDERBILT) def. #55 Olivia Hauger/Karla Popovic (CALIFORNIA), 7-5
- Christina Rosca/Fernanda Contreras (VANDERBILT) def. Denise Starr/Maria Smith (CALIFORNIA), 6-3
Singles
- #34 Maegan Manasse (CALIFORNIA) vs. #4 Astra Sharma (VANDERBILT), 6-4, 6-6, uf
- #15 Sydney Campbell (VANDERBILT) def. #10 Karla Popovic (CALIFORNIA), 6-4, 6-1
- #102 Christina Rosca (VANDERBILT) def. #123 Denise Starr (CALIFORNIA) , 7-5, 6-1
- Emma Kurtz (VANDERBILT) vs. Olivia Hauger (CALIFORNIA), 6-4, 4-3, uf
- Maya Jansen (CALIFORNIA) def. Georgina Sellyn (VANDERBILT), 6-4, 6-3
- Fernanda Contreras (VANDERBILT) def. Maria Smith (CALIFORNIA), 6-3, 6-2
Doubles (1,3,2) Singles (5,6,2,3)
