Murray State
Vanderbilt University (No. 16 seed)
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Women's Tennis Season Ends At NCAA Tournament
5/11/2007 5:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The No.16 ranked, and 16th seeded, Commodores (18-8) advance to the second round to face the
“I told the players don't worry what the score is in the first three games,” said MSU Head Coach Connie Keasling. “We had to get our feet wet, we haven't played anyone but ourselves in the last three weeks.”
Lyndsay Ottosen and Casady Pruitt won two straight games to pull within 3-2. The Commodore team of Taka Bertrand and Catherine Newman closed the door on the comeback by winning five straight games to post an 8-2 win at No. 2 doubles.
Anna Lask and Rachael Lask also earned two straight wins after falling behind 3-0 at No. 1 doubles. Vanderbilt's Amanda Fish and Amanda Taylor, the eighth ranked doubles team in the nation, rolled off three more wins to go ahead 6-2.
MSU made it 6-3 but would get no closer. The top-10 ranked Commodores clinched the doubles point for Vandy after winning the next two games for the 8-3 win.
The Racers gave Vanderbilt all it could handle at No. 3 doubles. The MSU tandem of
Vanderbilt came back and won the next three games for a 3-1 advantage. McGahee held serve to cut it to 3-2 but the Commodore team of Liberty Sveke and Courtney Ulery won a pair to extend the lead to 5-2.
The Racers picked up two straight wins of their own to draw within 5-4. Each team held serve the rest of the way. With Bochenek serving MSU made it 6-5.
After McGahee's serve kept the Racers within one at 7-6 the match ended when Vanderbilt clinched the doubles point with its victory at No. 1 doubles.
“Coming back after the slow starts shows how much they believe in themselves and showed that they can play with Vandy and in the NCAA Tournament,” said Keasling.
When singles play began, the Commodores quickly put some distance between themselves and the Racers.
Bertrand, ranked 105th among Division I singles players, dispatched McGahee, 6-1 and 6-1, at No. 4 singles. Down 5-0 and facing a second set shutout, McGahee jumped out in front 30-0 in the sixth game. After Bertrand drew within 30-15, McGahee won the next two points. The MSU freshman won the game when Bertrand service return was long.
Newman, the 51st ranked singles player in the country, brought Vanderbilt within a point of winning the match when she shutout Pruitt, 6-0 and 6-0 at No. 3 singles.
When the match ended, Vandy was within two games of finishing off straight set victories at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, but a battle was ensuing at No. 1 singles.
Anna Lask and Fish, the 19th ranked singles player in the country, were tied 4-4 in the first set when the match was halted.
The end of the 2007 season also draws to a close the end of the careers of seniors Anna and Rachael Lask and Casady Pruitt. The trio will go down as one of the winningest senior classes in the history of
“When you become a junior or a senior you have ownership in our program,” said Keasling. “Those seniors wanted to challenge future players by setting the highest marks in the classroom and on the court. They inspired the sophomores and freshmen, and when all that came together it turned into a wonderful season for this team.”
Tennis Match Results
#16
Singles competition
1. #19 Amanda Fish (VANDY) vs. Anna Lask (MUR) 4-4, unfinished
2. #36 Amanda Taylor (VANDY) def. Rachael Lask (
3. #51 Catherine Newman (VANDY) def. Casady Pruitt (
4. #105 Taka Bertrand (VANDY) def.
5. Courtney Ulery (VANDY) vs. Lynsey Bochenek (MUR) 6-2, 4-1, unfinished
6. Caroline Ferrell (VANDY) vs. Lyndsay Ottosen (MUR) 6-1, 4-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #8 Amanda Fish/Amanda Taylor (VANDY) def. Anna Lask/Rachael Lask (
2. Taka Bertrand/Catherine Newman (VANDY) def. Lyndsay Ottosen/Casady Pruitt (
3. Liberty Sveke/Courtney Ulery (VANDY) vs. Lynsey Bochenek/
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (4,3,2)
2007 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships
First Round
