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1/23/2005 The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team knocked off its second top-25 opponent in as many days as Coach Geoff Macdonald’s club defeated Notre Dame 6-1 on Sunday afternoon in South Bend. The Vanderbilt freshmen duo of Amanda Taylor and Caroline Ferrell blanked the Irish’s Sarah Jane Connelly and Kristina Stastny, 8-0, to garner the first doubles win. The Irish No. 2 ranked twin tandem of Catrina and Christian Thompson would battle the Commodore combo of Audra Falk and Annie Menees. The Thompson’s would take the pro-set at the No. 1 doubles position, 8-6, evening the match and placing the doubles point on the shoulders of Vanderbilt’s Amanda Fish and Taka Bertrand. The Dores would not back down. Fish and Betrand would weather the Irish surge to grab the important point, 9-7, and put the Commodores on top to stay. In singles play, the Commodores Audra Falk made quick work of Catrina Thompson to chalk up the second Vanderbilt point of the day. The Vanderbilt senior would only surrender two games to Thompson, winning the match in convincing fashion, 6-2, 6-0. VU freshman Bertrand would enjoy her first stint at the No. 2 singles position, toppling nationally ranked Brook Buck of Notre Dame by a tally of 6-4, 6-2. In her first match at the No. 3 position, Fish would continue her winning ways. The sophomore would drop the first set to Notre Dame’s Christian Thompson, but would take the second frame 7-6, notching the tiebreaker 7-2. Fish would finish Thompson off 6-4 in the third. Vanderbilt freshmen Amanda Taylor and Caroline Ferrell both proved they could play on the road, tallying tremendous victories at both the fifth and sixth positions. Taylor fended off ND’s Stastny, 6-4, 6-3, while Ferrell down the Irish’s Liz Donohue in a grinder, 7-6, 7-5. The Commodores would fall at the No. 4 singles position as VU’s Menees fell to Notre Dame’s Lauren Connelly. Menees dropped the first frame, but battled back to claim the second 6-3. The VU senior would fall in the third set tiebreak 10-6. The Commodores win over the No. 21 Irish was their second win over two top-25 teams in consecutive days. The Dores toppled the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines 5-2 on Saturday. Coach Macdonald’s squad looks to keep its impressive streak intact as it head to National Team Indoors in Madison, Wisconsin. The tournament runs Feb. 3-6. #6 Vanderbilt Commodores 6, #21 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1 Singles Doubles |
