NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores topped in-state rival Tennessee, the No. 19 team in the rankings, with a 6-1 decision on Friday afternoon. The win boosted the Commodores to 5-2 in the SEC as the teams race through the last few weekends of play leading into the conference tournament.
Injuries plagued the Lady Vols, but despite being down a match in doubles, battled for the point. Natalie Pluskota and Kata Szekely beat Jackie Wu and Lauren Mira on court one 8-3, but Marie Casares and Ashleigh Antal fought back from being down in their doubles set to win 9-7 and clinch the point.
“This was a match that, no matter the number of singles matches we had going, we could still have lost,” said head coach Geoff Macdonald. “Tennessee is a really good team with some real quality players. It’s hard to win over a team of their quality when they’re hurt like this.”
With injuries forcing them to default on courts five and six in singles, the Lady Vols found themselves down 3-0. Casares finished off the win, speeding through her sets against Joanna Henderson for a 6-2, 6-0 victory.
Antal struck next, defeating Grace 6-2, 6-2 as she extended her spring record to 15-3, and Mira wrapped up her match with a 6-2, 6-3 win against Szekely.
Brynn Boren defeated Wu for Tennessee’s lone point, winning a pro-set tiebreaker after splitting sets to win the match.
The Commodores host Georgia on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT as play continues over the weekend.
Results:
Singles:
1. Brynn Boren (Tennessee) def. Jackie Wu (Vanderbilt) 6-7(3), 6-4, 1-0(9)
2. Lauren Mira (Vanderbilt) def. Kata Szekely (Tennessee) 6-2, 6-3
3. Marie Casares (Vanderbilt) def. Joanna Henderson (Tennessee) 6-2, 6-0*
4. Ashleigh Antal (Vanderbilt) def. Jesse Grace (Tennessee) 6-2, 6-2
5. Nelly Radeva (Vanderbilt) wins by default
6. Megan Gornet (Vanderbilt) wins by default
Doubles:
1. Pluskota-Szekely (Tennessee) def. Wu-Mira (Vanderbilt) 8-3
2. Casares-Antal (Vanderbilt) def. Boren-Grace (Tennessee) 9-7*
3. Radeva-Gornet (Vanderbilt) wins by default
Match Notes:
#25 Vanderbilt, 13-6 (5-2)
#19 Tennessee, 11-9 (2-5)
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,1,2) Singles (5,6,3,42,1)
