NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 12 Vanderbilt women’s tennis team (2-0) took their second win of the season against the East Tennessee State Bucs (2-2) Sunday afternoon.
ITA All-American Amanda Fish continued to sit out in the Commodore campaign due to minor injures, allowing junior Amanda Taylor to snag her second consecutive win at the Vanderbilt No. 1 singles slot.
“I was nervous about starting, just because I hadn’t played since November. But the team’s been really supportive. We’ve really come together as a team,” Taylor said.
During her first set against ETSU’s Olya Batsula, Taylor traded points with the Belarus native until she broke the serve at 4-3, starting a 3-0 run to win the set (6-3). In their second meeting, Taylor held Batsula to one game to take the straight set match victory (6-3, 6-1).
Taylor brought the team total to 3-0, following the Commodores’ 3-0 doubles win and Taka Bertrand’s victory over ETSU’s Yevgeniya Stupak.
Bertrand quickly overpowered the five-foot-seven-inch Stupak, holding the Ukraine native scoreless in the first set. Stupak notched three games in the second set, but the wins didn’t phase Bertrand, who forged ahead to take a 6-3 victory (6-0, 6-3).
Bertrand also started the match with success in the doubles contest when she defeated Bucs Vita Moskaliova and Brittany Stewart 8-4 with partner Hannah Blatt. The pro set marked Blatt’s Commodore debut in dual match season.
With Courtney Ulery’s 6-1, 6-4 victory over Tara Byrne, the Commodores clinched their second victory of the season.
The Commodores will kick off an intense road stretch next week, traveling to No. 29 Michigan on January 28 for the Wolverine dual match season opener, followed by No. 4 Notre Dame (0-0) on January 29. Geoff Macdonald’s squad will only get a few days rest following the contests, as they will compete in the ITA’s National Indoors on February 1-4, which features 2006’s Top 12 schools.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. VU – Amanda Taylor / Caroline Ferrell def. Olya Batsula / Tara Byrne 8-5
2. VU – Liberty Sveke / Courtney Ulery def. Yevgeniay Stupak / Masha Ilina 8-5
3. VU – Hannah Blatt / Taka Bertrand def. Vita Moskaliova / Brittany Stewart 8-4
Singles
1. Amanda Taylor (VU) def. Olya Batsula (ET) 6-3, 6-0
2. Taka Bertrand (VU) def. Yevgeniya Stupak (ET) 6-0, 6-3
3. Courtney Ulery (VU) def. Tara Byrne (ET) 6-2, 6-4
4. Catherine Newman (VU) def. Masha Ilina (ET) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Liberty Sveke (VU) def. Elena Volobueva (ET) 6-3, 6-3
6. Caroline Ferrell (VU) def. Vita Moskaliova (ET) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
