ATHENS, Ga. -The 29th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team continued its dominance of Mississippi State Thursday with a 4-0 sweep of the Lady Bulldogs in the first round of the SEC Women’s Tennis Championships. With the win, Vanderbilt advances to Friday’s quarterfinal round where they will meet in-state rival and third-seeded Tennessee at 1 p.m. CT.
Thursday’s meeting with Mississippi State (9-13) was a rematch of last year’s first round SEC Tournament pairing and this year the final outcome was no different than in 2009.
The Commodores (13-8) won the doubles point after posting wins on all three courts and then made quick work in singles as Rachael Dillon, Hannah Blatt and Keilly Ulery recorded straight set victories to give VU’s its 22nd consecutive win over MSU.
“I thought we played really well today,” head coach Geoff Macdonald said. “We jumped on them for the doubles point and that was very important to get out to a good start. The bottom of our lineup played really well and Chelsea Preeg played flawlessly at No. 3. We’re looking forward to playing Tennessee tomorrow. Anytime, Tennessee and Vanderbilt play it’s a big deal and a great match.”
Vanderbilt took the early 1-0 lead after VU’s No. 1 tandem of Jackie Wu and Chelsea Preeg clinched the doubles point for the ‘Dores with an 8-3 win over Olesya Tsigvintseva and Natalia Mayuk for their 10th win of the dual season. This came after Blatt and Dillon swept Valeriya Makarycheva and Marlia Ryzhova, 8-0 on court three. With the doubles point already in hand, VU’s Catherine Newman and Erica Robertson finished off the Lady Bulldogs with an 8-5 win against Radka Ferancova and Danielle Terpko at No. 2.
Dillon wasted little time in giving the Commodores a 2-0 lead in the match when she cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Makarycheva at No. 5 singles. Minutes later, Dillon’s doubles partner, Blatt defeated Terpko for the second time this season with a straight set, 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 6, putting the ‘Dores one win away from clinching the match.
Ulery would then clinch her third match of the season, dispatching Ryzhova, 6-2, 6-2 on court four for her third singles win.
The three Commodores that didn’t finish their singles matches (Newman, Wu, and Preeg) had all won their first sets in their respective matches when play was halted.
Vanderbilt will face the third-seeded Lady Vols at 1 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens.
VU is 1-1 against Tennessee this year. The Commodores defeated the 12th-ranked Lady Vols, 5-2 in Nashville during the regular conference season on March 12. Tennessee edged the ‘Dores, 4-3 in Knoxville during the final round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Jan. 30.
Junior Keilly Ulery is looking forward to the opportunity of playing Tennessee in tomorrow’s quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
“We feel great going into tomorrow match against Tennessee,” Ulery stated. “We beat them during the season so that’s a big confidence boost for us. They’re our big rival so we’re excited about tomorrow.”
No. 29 Vanderbilt 4, Mississippi State 0
April 22, 2010 – Dan Magill Tennis Complex
Singles
1. No. 28 Catherine Newman (VU) vs. Olesya Tsigvintseva (MSU) 6-3, 1-1, unfinished
2. No. 30 Jackie Wu (VU) vs. Radka Ferancova (MSU) 6-3, 2-1, unfinished
3. No. 88 Chelsea Preeg (VU) vs. Natalia Mayuk (MSU) 6-4, unfinished
4. Keilly Ulery (VU) def. Marlia Ryzhova (MSU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Rachael Dillon (VU) def. Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Hannah Blatt (VU) def. Danielle Terpko (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 4
Doubles
1. No. 34 Wu / Preeg (VU) def. Tsigvintseva / Mayuk (MSU) 8-3
2. Robertson / Newman (VU) def. Ferancova / Terpko (MSU) 8-5
3. Blatt / Dillon (VU) def. Makarycheva / Ryzhova (MSU) 8-0
Order of Finish: (3, 1, 2)
Match Notes:
Vanderbilt improved to 13-8
Mississippi State fell to 9-13
