NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt took four of the six singles matches after sweeping the doubles point, earning the 5-2 win over No. 39 Princeton Wednesday. The Commodores (5-3, 1-2) notched singles wins in the number one, three, four and five singles spots.
“Our attitude as a team and effort needs a lot of work and improvement if we are going to compete at a high level,” head coach Geoff Macdonald said.
The ‘Dores jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after winning the three doubles matches by a combined score of 24-12. Vanderbilt picked up a huge win at the number one slot as Jackie Wu and Heather Steinbauer upset Princeton’s 26th-ranked pair of Hilary Bartlett and Taylor Marable. After falling behind two games to five the Commodore duo rallied off three consecutive wins to tie the match at five games apiece. The two teams traded off wins in the next two games before Steinbauer and Wu put the match away, winning 8-7 and three in the tiebreaker. Catherine Newman and Chelsea Preeg teamed up for an 8-5 win over Lauren McHale and Melissa Saiontz while Courtney and Keilly Ulery cruised through Blakely Ashley and Rachel Saiontz, winning 8-2.
Princeton (11-5) made things interesting after winning the first two singles matches at the number two and six slots, taking a 2-1 advantage in the overall match. Vanderbilt quickly knotted things up at two as Steinbauer defeated Rachel Saiontz in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3. The Woodlands, Texas native is now 14-4 overall and a perfect 6-0 in dual play. Fellow freshman Jackie Wu won for the second straight outing as she defeated Princeton’s Melissa Saiontz in consecutive sets, 7-6, 6-1, giving the ‘Dores the lead for good at 3-2. Wu improved to 19-7 overall and 4-3 in dual play.
VU eventually clinched the match with Preeg’s hard fought 7-6, 6-4 win over Marable for her team-high 20th win of the year. Newman closed out the match with an impressive three set marathon victory over 107th-ranked McHale. It marked the sixth time this season that Newman has defeated a ranked opponent.
“I was very pleased with the way Catherine played today,” Macdonald said. “She continued to battle and played a great three-set match.”
The Commodores will hit the road the road this week for a weekend showdown with No. 2 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. The match with the Irish will get underway starting with doubles at 2 p.m. ET.
No. 29 Vanderbilt 5, No. 39 Princeton 2
Singles
1. No. 61 Catherine Newman (VU) def. No. 107 Lauren McHale (PU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
2. Hilary Bartlett (PU) def. No. 112 Keilly Ulery (VU) 6-2, 6-2
3. No. 64 Jackie Wu (VU) def. Melissa Saiontz (PU) 7-6, 6-1
4. Chelsea Preeg (VU) def. Taylor Marable (PU) 7-6, 6-4
5. Heather Steinbauer (VU) def. Rachel Saiontz (PU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Blakely Ashley (PU) def. Courtney Ulery 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: (2, 6, 5, 3, 4*, 1)
Doubles
1. Steinbauer / Wu (VU) def. No. 26 Bartlett / Marable (PU) 8-7 (3)
2. Newman / Preeg (VU) def. McHale / M. Saiontz (PU) 8-3
3. C. Ulery / K. Ulery (VU) def. Ashley / R. Saiontz (PU) 8-2
Order of Finish: (3, 2, 1)
