NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s team earned their first upset of the season with a 5-2 win over No. 3 Georgia Tech Thursday evening at the Currey Tennis Center.
The No. 25 Commodores (4-5) started with a 2-1 doubles win and followed with singles victories from Catherine Newman, Amanda Taylor, Taka Bertrand and Courtney Ulery to clinch the win.
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| The Commodores overpowered No. 3 Georgia Tech Thursday with an impressive 5-2 win at the Currey Tennis Center. |
The Yellow Jackets (6-2) were recently named ITA Indoors champions when they snapped No. 1 Stanford’s 89-match win streak to take the title in early February. Thursday’s loss marks their second dropped contest of the season.
Bertrand and Newman quickly downed Yellow Jacket opponents 8-1 in doubles. GT then split the contest with an 8-2 win at No. 2. VU sophomores Ulery and Liberty Sveke charged ahead with a 6-2 lead over Kirsten Flower and Ashley Craddock at No. 3, but the Yellow Jackets fired back with three wins to trail the ‘Dores by just one game at 6-5. Ulery and Sveke then clinched the win 8-6.
Freshman Newman led the Commodore singles charge with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Tarryn Rudman at No. 4 to put VU up 2-0. Amanda Taylor followed minutes later with a straight set win over No. 22 Kirsten Flower at No. 2, putting the Commodores within in one match of the win.
Senior Amanda Fish played her second singles contest of the season against Georgia Tech’s No. 11 Kristi Miller. It was clear Fish was still playing through pain from a nagging ankle injury, but continued to battle Miller at No. 1. Fish eventually fell 6-2, 6-2, marking GT’s first singles match win of the night.
Junior Bertrand finished the Yellow Jacket extermination with a 6-2, 6-4 win over No. 38 Alison Silverio.
“I’m so happy the team won,” Bertrand said. “It was really good for our confidence. Everyone was really pumped because we believed we could win. We knew they were highly ranked and this would be a great opportunity for an upset.”
Freshman Courtney Ulery notched her first ranked singles win of the season when she followed Bertrand with a 7-5, 6-3 win over No. 54 Amanda Craddock. Junior Caroline Ferrell played a tight contest with GT’s Amanda McDowell, but was edged 6-4, 7-5 to end the evening’s action.
Last season the Commodores were swept by the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta, marking VU’s only shutout of the 2006 season.
“This is becoming a great rivalry,” Vanderbilt Head Coach Geoff Macdonald said. “Tech plays great matches with superb sportsmanship. To beat them is a real accomplishment considering the injuries and other problems we’ve had to deal with. To hang together and come through says a lot about the character of our team.”
The Commodores will begin a four-match road trip on Saturday against Brown and Harvard, followed by SEC action against Auburn and Alabama on March 2 and 4.
RESULTS
Vanderbilt 5, GA Tech 2
Doubles
1. #18 Kristi Miller/Whitney McCray (GT) d. #19 Amanda Taylor/Amanda Fish (VU) 8-2
2. Taka Bertand/Catherine Newman (VU) d. Tarryn Rudman/Alison Silverio (GT) 8-1
3. Courtney Ulery/Liberty Sveke (VU) d. Kirsten Flower/Amanda Craddock (GT) 8-6
Singles
1. #11 Kristi Miller (GT) d. #35 Amanda Fish (VU) 6-2, 6-2
2. #64 Amanda Taylor (VU) d. #22 Kirsten Flower (GT) 6-0, 6-3
3. #96 Taka Bertrand (VU) d. #38 Alison Silverio (GT) 6-2, 6-4
4. #39 Catherine Newman (VU) d. Tarryn Rudman (GT) 6-2, 6-2
5. Courtney Ulery (VU) d. #54 Amanda Craddock (GT) 7-5, 6-3
6. Amanda McDowell (GT) d. Caroline Ferrell (VU) 6-4, 7-5
