NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 24th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team was excited to play its first home match of the season and it showed as they knocked off 54th-ranked Brown, 5-2 at the Currey Tennis Center on Saturday night.
The Commodores (5-2) made quick work of clinching the match over the Bears (7-3), as they won the first three completed singles matches after winning the doubles point.
“I thought we played pretty well tonight against a Brown team that just beat William and Mary,” head coach Geoff Macdonald said. “I thought we competed very well at a few places tonight and overall it was a solid performance by our team. These last few matches we have played will help us get ready for SEC play, starting next weekend.”
The ‘Dores got out to an early 1-0 lead in the match, when they notched wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles positions. Sophomore Erica Robertson and senior Catherine Newman teamed up for just the third time this season as they took down Brown’s pair of Julie Flanzer and Misia Krasowski, 8-5 at the No. 2 position.
“I thought Erica and Catherine played a solid match in doubles tonight,” Macdonald said.
A few minutes later, VU’s team of Keilly Ulery and Chelsea Preeg battled back and forth with Brown’s Emily Ellis and Marisa Schonfeld before pulling out the 9-7 win at the No. 3 position and clinching the doubles point for the ‘Dores.
In the last doubles match of the night, Vanderbilt’s Rachael Dillon and Heather Steinbauer came back from a 4-6 deficit to tie the match at eight games apiece before Brown’s No. 1 pair of Cassandra Herzberg and Bianca Aboubakare edged the Commodore pair 9-8 (7-5 in tiebreaker).
Holding a 1-0 lead after doubles, VU waited little time to take control of the match in singles as Steinbauer, Dillon and Newman posted straight set wins at their respected positions.
Steinbauer gave VU a 2-0 lead when she took down BU’s Flanzer (6-1, 6-2) for her fourth singles win of the dual season. Dillon then put Vanderbilt up 3-0 when she posted a straight set win of her own at the No. 5 position, dispatching Catherine Stewart 6-1, 6-3.
Clinching the match for the Commodores was Catherine Newman. Playing at No. 1 for the third time this year, Newman cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Herzberg to clinch the match for VU.
With the match already in hand, the Bears recorded wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles before the Commodores won the final match of the day.
Vanderbilt’s final point of the day came courtesy of senior Hannah Blatt, who defeated Marisa Schonfeld, 6-2, 7-5, for her third win of the dual season.
The ‘Dores will return to the hard courts next Friday (Mar. 5), when they travel to Oxford, Miss., to open Southeastern Conference play against the 26th-ranked Rebels. After competing against Ole Miss, VU will then face No. 69 Mississippi State in Starkville on Sunday, Mar. 7.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
No. 24 Vanderbilt 5, No. 54 Brown 2
Doubles
No. 1 Herzberg / Aboubakare, B. (Brown) def. Dillon / Steinbauer (VU) 9-8(7-5)
No. 2 Newman / Robertson (VU) def. Flanzer / Krasowski (Brown) 8-5
No. 3 Preeg / Ulery (VU) def. Ellis / Schonfeld (Brown) 9-7
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
No. 1 Catherine Newman (VU) def. Cassandra Herzberg (Brown) 6-1, 6-0
No. 2 Bianca Aboubakare (Brown) def. Chelsea Preeg (VU) 6-4, 3-6(10-5)
No. 3 Misia Krasowski (Brown) def. Keilly Ulery (VU) 6-4, 7-5
No. 4 Heather Steinbauer (VU) def. Julie Flanzer (Brown) 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 Rachael Dillon (VU) def. Catherine Stewart (Brown) 6-1, 6-3
No. 6 Hannah Blatt (VU) def. Marisa Schonfeld (Brown) 6-2, 7-5
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 1*, 3, 2, 6
