NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The sixth-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team is headed to its third-straight Sweet 16 after defeating the Rice Owls 4-0 Saturday afternoon in second round action.
With the victory, the squad owns a 35-match home winning streak sending their senior class off having not suffered a home defeat since their debut season. The last time the Commodores dropped a single match in a regional was in a 4-2 win over Georgia Tech in 2014.
Vandy kicked off the regional final with a competitive doubles point, which was clinched by the `Dores on court three following a 6-4 win by Astra Sharma and Frances Altick on two.
However, the doubles point didn’t come easy for the tandem on court three, as Fernanda Contreras and Georgina Sellyn battled back resiliently from a four-game deficit to take the point advantage in a dominant 7–1 tiebreaker.
In singles, Vandy claimed five of six first sets with Astra Sharma claiming the fifth in a tight tiebreaker, 7-6(4). VU’s first singles victory of the day came on court one as Franklin, Tenn. native, No. 18 Sydney Campbell, played exceptional tennis to give VU the 2-0 advantage. The junior only gave up one single game in singles on Saturday and five on the weekend.
With her family in from Glasgow, Scotland, Sellyn downed Rice’s Solo Zinko 6-3, 6-2 on court six. The redshirt-junior finished the regional with an undefeated 4-0 record.
In front of a packed crowd at the Currey Tennis Center, Frances Altick generated back-to-back clinches for the Commodore squad, sealing the `Dores spot in the round of 16 in a 6-2, 6-3 victory on court two.
The Commodores will fly out to Tulsa Monday afternoon, and are scheduled to face No. 11 Auburn in an SEC rematch Thursday, May 19th, at 9:00 am CT. Vanderbilt defeated the Tigers in a tight 4-3 match at home in Nashville.
