The 16th-ranked Vanderbilt women's tennis team won five of the six singles matches after sweeping the doubles point to defeat the Yale Bulldogs 6-1 at the Currey Tennis Center Saturday. With the win, the Commodores push their dual record to 3-1 on the season while Yale falls to 6-2.
"I was really pleased with our team's performance today against the defending Ivy League Champions," said Vanderbilt coach Geoff Macdonald. "We really set the tone by taking all three doubles matches."
Vanderbilt set the tone early by winning all three doubles matches against the 51st-ranked Bulldogs. The Vanderbilt tandem of freshmen Heather Steinbauer and Jackie Wu took control early on in the No. 1 doubles match as they held on to defeat Yale's pair of Janet Kim and Jessica Rhee, 8-4. Wu and Steinbauer improve to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in spring dual action.
Vanderbilt junior Catherine Newman and freshman Chelsea Preeg teamed up to defeat the tandem of Vicky Brook and Lindsay Clark, 8-3. Sophomore Keilly and senior Courtney Ulery paired up in doubles for the first time all season, dispatching Yale's Stevi Petrelli and Sarah Lederhandler 8-5.
In singles action, Wu, Preeg, Steinbauer and Keilly Ulery picked up singles wins over their respective opponents in straight sets. Wu cruised through her match, winning 6-0, 6-0 over Rhee in number two singles. With the win, Wu pushes her singles record to a gaudy 17-5.
Keilly Ulery improved to 13-8 in singles with an impressive 6-3, 6-0 victory over Yale's Vicky Brook in the number three singles position. Like Wu, Preeg improved to 17-5 in singles with a convincing 6-0, 6-4 win over Petrelli in the number four slot.
Vanderbilt's Courtney Ulery captured her third win in her last four matches, dispatching Clark in the tiebreaker. After dropping the first set 5-7, the older Ulery battled back to take the second set 6-3 before the match was retired after Clark suffered a leg injury in the tiebreaker.
Newman was the lone Commodore that was unable to pick up a singles win Saturday, falling 2-6, 7-5 and 10-4 in the second set tie breaker to Janet Kim at the number one singles spot.
"I think if Catherine's match would have been played out to three sets, she would have won," Macdonald said.
Today's match with Yale marked the return home of former Vanderbilt two-time All-American Amanda Fish. Fish, a 2007 graduate of Vanderbilt, is serving in her first year as Yale's assistant coach.
The Commodores will return to competition on March 6, as they will open the Southeastern Conference slate by hosting South Carolina at the Currey Tennis Center. The dual meet with the Gamecocks will get underway at 2:30 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Travis Young
