COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team jumped out to 2-0 lead against South Carolina but it couldn’t hold on as the Gamecocks won five of the six singles matches en route to a 5-2 win over the Commodores at the Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center on Sunday.
USC improved to 14-4 overall and 7-1 in Southeastern Conference play, while VU fell to 9-8 and 4-4 in league action.
After losing the doubles point to No. 3 Florida on Friday, the Commodores regrouped to win the doubles point against South Carolina on Sunday, recording wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Vanderbilt’s Catherine Newman and Erica Robertson got the Commodores closer to clinching the point when they notched an 8-3 win over USC’s team of Miljana Jocic and Madeleine Saari-Bystrom on court two. With the win, Newman and Robertson improved to 5-6 in dual play, including 3-5 in the SEC.
The tandem of Chelsea Preeg and Jackie Wu clinched the doubles point for the `Dores when they knocked-off 24th-ranked Dijana Stojic and Ana Marija Zubori, 8-6 at the No. 1 position. With the win the sophomore duo moves to 7-3 in dual play, including 2-2 in the SEC.
With the Commodores holding a 1-0 lead after doubles, VU quickly extended its lead to 2-0 when Preeg defeated Anya Morgina in straight sets, winning 6-3, 7-5 for her 11th win of the dual season. With the win Sunday, Preeg improved to 11-6 in dual play, including 5-3 in the SEC.
South Carolina started to chip away at VU’s lead when Andriana Pereira topped Rachael Dillon, 7-6, 6-3 on court five to get within a point of tying the match. USC would eventually tie the match at two when Stojic defeated Wu in straight sets on court two.
With the match knotted up at two, the Gamecocks would win the final three contested singles matches, posting wins at No. 4, No. 6 and No. 1.
USC’s Saari-Bystrom clinched the match for the Gamecocks when she edged Blatt in three sets at the No. 6 position. Blatt kept her first-set winning streak alive after taking the first set 6-4 before falling in the second and third. With the loss, the Nashville, Tenn., native dropped her first conference match of the season, falling to 6-1 in the SEC on the year.
With USC already clinching the match, VU’s Newman nearly pulled out a three-set come-from-behind win at No. 1 after grinding out and taking the second set, 7-5 over Zubori before falling 3-6 in the third.
The 24th-ranked Commodores will be in action next on Friday, April 9, when they host No. 22 Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. CT at the Currey Tennis Center. Two days later Vanderbilt will host LSU at Noon on Sunday (April 11).
No. 19 South Carolina 5, No. 24 Vanderbilt 2
April 4, 2010
Singles
1. No. 75 Ana Marija Zubori (USC) def. No. 23 Catherine Newman (VU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
2. Dijana Stojic (USC) def. No. 27 Jackie Wu (VU) 6-3, 6-0
3. No. 82 Chelsea Preeg (VU) def. Anya Morgina (USC) 6-3, 7-5
4. Miljana Jocic (USC) def. Keilly Ulery (VU) 7-5, 6-2
5. Andriana Pereira (USC) def. Rachael Dillon (VU) 7-6, 6-3
6. M. Saari-Bystrom (USC) def. Hannah Blatt (VU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish: 3, 5, 2, 4, 6*, 1
Doubles
1. No. 25 Preeg / Wu (VU) def. No. 24 Stojic / Zubori (USC) 8-6
2. Newman / Robertson (VU) def. Jocic / Saari-Bystrom (USC) 8-3
3. Morgina / Pereira (USC) def. Blatt / Dillon (VU) 8-6
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Match Notes
Vanderbilt falls to 9-8 overall and 4-4 in the SEC
South Carolina improves to 14-4 overall and 7-1 in the SEC
