Dec. 7, 2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Four members of the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team are ranked in the first ITA southeast region singles poll released Friday. The Commodores also placed two teams in the doubles rankings.
Sophomore Catherine Newman (Greensboro, N.C.) is the highest ranked Commodore in singles, coming in at No. 6 in the southeast. Newman finished the fall with a 10-3 singles record, including a win in the singles A flight at the Fall SEC Coaches’ Classic. Last season, Newman finished with a 20-7 record and earned first team All-SEC honors.
Senior Amanda Taylor (Richland, Wash.) enters the rankings at No. 7. Taylor’s fall season was highlighted by a victory over the No. 1 singles player in the country, Megan Falcon of LSU, at the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships. Taylor finished last season with a 23-5 overall record and was a member of the All-SEC first team.
Junior Courtney Ulery (Wellington, Fla.) is the third Commodore ranked in the top 10 in the southeast, with a No. 10 ranking. Ulery enjoyed a breakout fall season, finishing with a perfect 13-0 record, including wins over three ranked players. Ulery won her singles flight at both the June Stewart Invitational and the Fall SEC Coaches’ Classic.
2006 SEC Player of the Year Taka Bertrand (Great Falls, Va.) is the fourth Commodore in the singles rankings at No. 19. Bertrand finished the fall with an 8-4 record, including two victories at the ITA Southeast Indoor Championships. Last season, Bertrand earned second team All-SEC honors after her 20-11 overall record and 10-1 mark in conference play.
The doubles tandem of Bertrand and Newman are ranked eighth in the southeast region by the ITA. The duo posted a 7-4 record during the fall season. Last season, the pair finished with a 9-2 record in SEC matches and a 19-6 overall record.
Taylor and Courtney Ulery are ranked 12th in the southeast region. The team won their flight at the June Stewart Invitational in the fall and finished with an overall record of 6-5. Last year, Taylor earned ITA All-American honors for her doubles play with Amanda Fish.
Vanderbilt opens up its spring schedule on Wednesday, January 16 at 2:30 p.m. as it hosts UT Martin. For more information on the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team, log on to the official website of Vanderbilt athletics, vucommodores.com.
