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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 16th-ranked Vanderbilt women’s tennis team advanced to the second round of the 2007 NCAA Championships with a 4-0 victory over Murray State on Friday at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center.
The Commodores will face Tennessee on Saturday, May 12, at 12 Noon CT. The Lady Volunteers blanked Tulsa, 4-0, in Friday’s early match.
Vanderbilt played in the late match to give senior Amanda Fish an opportunity to attend commencement on Friday morning. The Scituate, Mass., native traded in her cap and gown for a racket and helped the Commodores secure the first point of the match, teaming up with junior Amanda Taylor to clinch the doubles’ point.
Fish and Taylor defeated sisters Anna and Rachael Lask of Murray State, 8-3. Minutes earlier, junior Taka Bertrand and freshman Catherine Newman had won their doubles’ match on court two, an 8-2 victory over Lyndsay Ottosen and Casady Pruitt.
Sophomore Liberty Sveke and Courtney Ulery led their match on court three, 7-6, when play was suspended.
The Commodores wasted little time getting an early lead in singles. Five first sets were decided by scores of 6-2 or better, with Newman blanking her opponent en route to a 6-0, 6-0 win. A 6-1, 6-1 victory by Bertrand had the Commodores within a point of advancing as three other matches neared completion.
Both Ulery and junior Caroline Ferrell were up 4-1 in their second sets when Taylor clinched the match for Vanderbilt, halting play on courts one, five and six. Taylor defeated Rachael Lask, 6-2, 6-0, at number two singles to finish the 4-0 sweep.
Saturday’s matchup between Southeastern Conference rivals promises to be an exciting one. The Commodores defeated Tennessee, 4-3, in Knoxville this March.
“This has been a great rivalry for years,” VU Head Coach Geoff Macdonald said about playing Tennessee. “We’ve had some unbelievably close matches, and the two programs have a lot of mutual respect for each other. Of all the regional finals, I expect this to be one of the best. Fans have the chance to come out and see some world-class tennis.”
Tickets for Saturday’s match (12 Noon) are $5 for adults and $3 for students and children 12-and-under. Live statistics will also be available on the official web site of Vanderbilt athletics (http://vucommodores.com).
NCAA First Round
Currey Tennis Center; Nashville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt (VU) def. Murray State (MS), 4-0
Doubles
No. 1: Amanda Taylor/Amanda Fish (VU) def. Anna Lask/Rachael Lask (MS), 8-3
No. 2: Taka Bertrand/Catherine Newman (VU) def. Lyndsay Ottosen/Casady Pruitt (MS), 8-2
No. 3: Liberty Sveke/Courtney Ulery (VU) led Lynsey Bochenek/Angela McGahee (MS), 7-6 DNF
Order of finish: 2, 1*
Singles
No. 1: Amanda Fish (VU) vs. Anna Lask (MS), 4-4 DNF
No. 2: Amanda Taylor (VU) def. Rachael Lask (MS), 6-2, 6-0
No. 3: Catherine Newman (VU) def. Casady Pruitt (MS), 6-0, 6-0
No. 4: Taka Bertrand (VU) def. Angela McGahee (MS), 6-1, 6-1
No. 5: Courtney Ulery (VU) led Lynsey Bochenek (MS), 6-2, 4-1 DNF
No. 6: Caroline Ferrell (VU) led Lyndsey Ottosen (MS), 6-1, 4-1 DNF
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3*
Match Notes
Vanderbilt advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will play Tennessee on Saturday, May 12, at Noon CT.
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NCAA First Round
Currey Tennis Center; Nashville, Tenn.
Tennessee (UT) def. Tulsa (TU), 4-0
Doubles
No. 1: Kindsay Grimes/Carla Zabaleta (TU) led Caitlin Whoriskey/Zsofia Zubor (UT), 7-6 DNF
No. 2: Ghizela Schutte/Connor Vogel (UT) def. Santie Delport/Marta Marcinkowska (TU), 8-4
No. 3: Blakeley Griffith/Samantha Orlin (UT) def. Thalia Diaz-Barriga/Jie Zeng (TU), 8-4
Order of finish: 2, 3*
Singles
No. 1: Blakeley Griffith (UT) def. Kindsay Grimes (TU), 6-0, 6-1
No. 2: Ghizela Schutte (UT) led Santie Delport (TU), 7-5, 2-3 DNF
No. 3: Connor Vogel (UT) led Carla Zabaleta (TU), 6-1, 2-2 DNF
No. 4: Caitlin Whoriskey (UT) led Thalia Diaz-Barriga (TU)
No. 5: Samantha Orlin (UT) def. Agostina Santoro (TU), 6-2, 6-4
No. 6: Zsofia Zubor (UT) def. Marta Marcinkowska (TU), 6-1, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 1, 5*
Match Notes
Tennessee advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will play Vanderbilt on Saturday, May 12, at Noon CT.
