April 8, 2007
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 16th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores snapped the No. 22 South Carolina women’s tennis team’s eight-match unbeaten streak Sunday at Currey Tennis Center in Nashville, Tenn., by a 5-2 margin. Vanderbilt improved to 15-7 with the victory and 8-2 in the SEC, while the Gamecocks dropped to 16-4 and 8-2 in the league.
The Commodores won the doubles point, with Liberty Sveke and Courtney Ulery first taking the No. 3 position 8-6 against Laura Ganzer and Megan McGavock. Amanda Fish and Amanda Taylor, who are ranked 18th, put Vandy ahead 1-0 by upending Gira Schofield and Ana Marija Zubori 8-4 on court 1. The final match at the second slot belonged to Carolina’s Christyn Lucas and Natasa Vuckovic by an 8-5 count over Taka Bertrand and Catherine Newman.
The Commodores jumped ahead 2-0 after Bertrand won 6-1, 6-1 in her match with Lucas at No. 4 singles, but Ganzer answered for the Gamecocks with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph at six versus Sveke. Taylor gave Vanderbilt its third point when she took a 7-5, 6-3 decision from Zubori on court 2, and Ulery went on to clinch the team win by scores of 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 over McGavock at the No. 5 spot.
Vuckovic registered USC’s final point after the Commodores led 4-1. She defeated No. 38 Newman at three singles 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, making Newman the highest-ranked player the sophomore has beaten in her career. Vuckovic is 21-6 in singles this season and 17-3 in dual matches, which includes a 9-1 mark against SEC opponents.
Fish came back to post a victory over Schofield in the final match on court 1. After losing the first set 6-2, she claimed the second 7-5 and grabbed a 10-7 win in a super tiebreaker for the third set. It marked the second year in a row the two played a super tiebreaker to decide the final set, and it was Schofield who walked away victorious in 2006.
South Carolina finishes the regular season playing at No. 4 Florida on Saturday at 10 a.m.
#16 Vanderbilt (15-7, 8-2 SEC) def. #22 South Carolina (16-4, 8-2 SEC), 5-2
Singles
1. #25 Amanda Fish, VU, def. #55 Gira Schofield, USC, 2-6, 7-5, (10-7)
2. #36 Amanda Taylor, VU, def. Ana Marija Zubori, USC, 7-5, 6-3
3. Natasa Vuckovic, USC, def. #38 Catherine Newman, VU, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
4. #101 Taka Bertrand, VU, def. Christyn Lucas, USC, 6-1, 6-1
5. Courtney Ulery, VU, def. Megan McGavock, USC, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Laura Ganzer, USC, def. Liberty Sveke, VU, 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 4, 6, 2, 5, 3, 1
Doubles
1. #18 Fish/Taylor, VU, def. #32 Schofield/Zubori, USC, 8-4
2. Lucas/Vuckovic, USC, def. #51 Bertrand/Newman, VU, 8-5
3. Sveke/Ulery, VU, def. Ganzer/McGavock, USC, 8-6
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
