TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Keilly Ulery came up big with the match on the line as her three-set win at No. 4 singles propelled the Commodores to a 4-3 win over Alabama at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium in Tuscaloosa Friday.
With the win, Vanderbilt snapped a three-match losing streak while improving to 8-6 overall and 3-2 in league play.
Alabama (7-8, 0-5 SEC) got on the scoreboard first when they took two of three from the Commodores in doubles. The senior-junior tandem of Hannah Blatt and Rachael Dillon notched an 8-6 win against Alabama’s Paulina Bigos and Meritt Emery at No. 3 for their first SEC win of the season. The Crimson Tide would eventually clinch the doubles point when Antonia Foehse and Alice Tunaru held off VU’s Catherine Newman and Erica Robertson in a tiebreaker, 9-8(7-0) to clinch the doubles point.
Trailing 1-0 heading into singles action, the Commodores quickly tied the match at 1-1 when Jackie Wu cruised to a straight set win over Meritt Emery at No. 3 in what was her first singles competition since defeating Yale’s Stephanie Kent on Feb. 21.
Moments later, Vanderbilt took its first lead of the match when Blatt registered a straight set win at No. 6, dispatching Alabama’s Tunaru, 6-2, 6-2. With the the win, Blatt improves to 7-3 in singles this season, including a team-best 4-0 in the SEC.
The Commodores than grabbed a 3-1 lead after Newman handled Alabama’s top-rated player, No. 39 Alexa Guarachi on court one for her team leading 10th win of the dual season. With the win on Friday, Newman pushes her 2010 dual mark to 10-4, including 4-1 in conference play while playing at the top-spot in the lineup.
With Vanderbilt leading 3-1 in the match, Alabama responded with wins of their own at No. 5 and No. 2, setting up another barn burner finish.
After dropping its last two matches by the score of 4-3, the Commodores broke through on Friday as Ulery battled back from a set down to knock-off Alabama’s Foehse in a thrilling three-set tiebreaker. Foehse gave the Crimson Tide some breathing room when she took the first set 7-5, but the Commodore responded in the second set with a run of her own, taking the second set 6-2 to set up a third and final set. The pressure was turned up even more in the third as Ulery found herself down a break (4-5) before rallying to win two of the next three games to set up the tiebreaker.
The Wellington, Fla., native closed out the match, winning 7-2 in the third set tiebreaker and more importantly giving Vanderbilt its 16th straight victory over the Tide.
The ‘Dores will be back in action on Sunday as they play host to 50th-ranked Auburn at the friendly confines of the Currey Tennis Center. Sunday’s match will get underway with doubles action starting at noon.
No. 29 Vanderbilt 4, No. 71 Alabama 3
March 26, 2010
Singles
1. No. 38 Catherine Newman (VU) def. No. 39 Alexa Guarachi (UA) 6-4, 6-1
2. Courtney McLane (UA) def. No. 76 Chelsea Preeg (VU) 6-1, 6-4
3. No. 24 Jackie Wu (VU) def. Meritt Emery (UA) 6-1, 6-1
4. Keilly Ulery (VU) def. Antonia Foehse (UA) 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)
5. Paulina Bigos (UA) def. Rachael Dillon (VU) 6-4, 6-3
6. Hannah Blatt (VU) def. Alice Tunaru (UA) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 1, 5, 2, 4*
Doubles
1. No. 60 Guarachi / McLane (UA) def. No. 27 Wu / Preeg (VU) 8-3
2. Foehse / Tunaru (UA) def. Robertson / Newman (VU) 9-8 (7-0)
3. Blatt / Dillon (VU) def. Bigos / Emery (UA) 8-6
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
