NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 25th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team won four of the five contested singles matches en route to a 5-2 win over No. 12 Tennessee in a match that lasted five hours due to a pair of rain delays at the Currey Tennis Center.
With the win the Commodores improve to 7-3 overall and 2-1 in Southeastern Conference play. The loss drops the Lady Vols to 8-5 overall and 2-1 in league play.
“Any time you win against a team in this conference it’s a good win,” head coach Geoff Macdonald said. “We beat a good team tonight that has been dealing with injuries this season like us. Overall I was pleased with the way we finished out our close matches today and we continue to make signs of progress.”
Vanderbilt fell behind 1-0, after Tennessee won the only two doubles matches of the day. VU’s No. 3 duo of Chelsea Preeg and Keilly Ulery won by default. The other two doubles matches were tight most of the way, especially the match on court No. 1. Vanderbilt’s Rachael Dillon and Heather Steinbauer battled back and forth for over an hour with Tennessee’s team of Caitlin Whoriskey and Maria Sorbello. With the match deadlocked at 4-4, the Commodore duo won the next three games to take a 7-4 lead, putting Tennessee on its heels of losing the doubles point. Dillon and Steinbauer had Whoriskey and Sorbello down to match-point but the veteran UT duo rallied to win the next four games to take an 8-7 lead. VU’s tandem then responded by winning the next game, forcing the match to go into a tiebreaker where UT would eventually win 7-3 and giving the Lady Vols the doubles point.
On court two, Catherine Newman and Erica Robertson were locked in a tight match with UT’s 33rd-ranked team of Rosalia Alda and Zsofia Zubor before the Lady Vol duo took the match 8-5.
After losing the doubles point for the second time in the last three duals, the Commodores knew they would have to put together a strong performance in singles play and they did just that.
Vanderbilt quickly evened the score of the match at 1-1, when Hannah Blatt won by default at No. 6 singles due to an injury plagued Tennessee roster.
The `Dores quickly tied the match back up at two games apiece when Dillon took down Katie Lee in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4 at No. 5. Dillon has now won five of her last six singles matches dating back to Jan. 24. The Cal-Berkeley transfer is now 5-2 while playing at No. 5 for the Commodores this spring.
With the match knotted at two, Vanderbilt took its first lead of the match as Steinbauer defeated UT’s Alda in a second set tiebreaker for second straight win over SEC opponent. After Steinbauer won the first set 6-3, Alda forced a second set tiebreaker after each player won six games in the second. In the tiebreak, Steinbauer and Alda split the first six points (3-3) before Steinbauer closed out the match in exciting fashion with a 7-5 win in the tiebreak, giving VU a 3-2 lead.
With VU holding a tight 3-2 lead, Vanderbilt’s Newman recorded one of the biggest and most exciting wins of the season when she upset 10th-ranked Caitlin Whoriskey at No. 1 to clinch the match for the Commodores. Once again Newman, used her agility and athleticism to simply wear down the powerful game of Whoriskey.
“I thought Catherine’s win against Whoriskey was a prize-fight match against two outstanding players,” Macdonald said. “Catherine once again displayed the work ethic and toughness that it takes to beat the best in the SEC.”
The senior captain won the first set 6-3, before the second set went all the way to a tiebreak after each player won six of the 12 games during the second set. Much like the rest of the match, the tiebreaker was tight the whole way before the Commodore won 7-5 in the tiebreak. With the win, Newman improves to 8-2 in dual play, including a perfect 3-0 mark at the top spot lineup against the SEC. The Greensboro, N.C., Newman now has 99 career wins and will have a shot to win her 100th against Georgia on Sunday.
The win over Whoriskey marked the second time a Vanderbilt player had defeated UT’s No. 1 player this season. VU’s Jackie Wu defeated the Lady Vol in straight sets in the school’s previous meeting on Jan. 30.
With the match already in hand, Vanderbilt’s Chelsea Preeg closed out the meet with a solid three-set comeback win over UT’s 47th-ranked Maria Sorbello on court two. After dropping the first set, 3-6, Preeg took the second and third sets for seventh win of the dual season. The Naples, Fla., native is now a perfect 3-0 against the SEC in singles.
The Commodores will be back in action on Sunday as they play host to 14th-ranked Georgia at Noon CT. The match will be played at the Currey Tennis Center and is open to the public free of charge.
No. 25 Vanderbilt 5, No. 12 Tennessee 2
March 12, 2010
Doubles
1. Whoriskey / Sorbello (UT) def. Dillon / Steinbauer (VU) 9-8(3)
2. No. 33 Alda / Zubor (UT) def. Robertson / Newman (VU) 8-5
3. Preeg / Ulery (VU) won by default
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. No. 67 Catherine Newman (VU) def. No. 10 Caitlin Whoriskey (UT) 6-3, 6-6(7-5)
2. No. 85 Chelsea Preeg (VU) def. No. 47 Maria Sorbello (UT) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
3. No. 107 Heather Steinbauer (VU) def. Rosalia Alda (UT) 6-3, 6-6(7-4)
4. Zsofia Zubòr (UT) def. Keilly Ulery (VU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Rachael Dillon (VU) def. Katie Lee (UT) 7-5, 6-3
6. Hannah Blatt (VU) won by default
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 5, 3, 1*, 2
