Surprise, Ariz. — Vanderbilt junior Christina Rosca concluded the Commodores’ stint at the ITS Fall Nationals in a loss to Georgia’s Katarina Jokic in the singles semifinals on Saturday.
The junior Rosca took the court strong looking for a shot at advancing to the final round of singles play. However, Rosca suffered defeat in the first set, 6-0. In the second set, UGA’s Jokic was able to hold Rosca without a point, earning a straight-set win, 6-1, 6-0.
Although Rosca concluded her time at the ITA Fall Nationals, she walked away having received the ITA’s sportsmanship award. Rosca’s honor marked the third year in a row the award has been bestowed upon a Vanderbilt player (Astra Sharma ’16, Fernanda Contreras ’17).
“I am very honored to receive the sportsmanship award. It is the third year in a row that a Vandy player has won it at this tournament, so it’s awesome to keep the streak going,” said Rosca.
With the Dores’ run in the national tournament coming to a close, head coach Geoff Macdonald said he was very proud of the way his team competed over the course of the tournament.
“First, I want to tip my hat to Jokic, she played a great match and earned a very strong win in the semifinals,” Macdonald said. “I thought over the course of the ITA Fall Nationals our team competed in very high-level matches, earning strong wins with each match. Overall, it was a great tournament. I am proud of all five of our players for the way they competed, especially Chris making it to the semifinals. This was a wonderful way to end the fall and I am looking forward to the spring.”
The Dores will take the court again on Jan. 11 to open up the regular season in Coral Gables, Florida in the Miami Spring Invite.
Keep up with the Commodores as they prepare for the regular season by following @Vandywtennis on Twitter and Instagram.
