Commodores knock off Wildcats

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Third-seeded Vanderbilt women's tennis secures its spot in the semifinals of the 2019 SEC Championship after defeating No. 6-seed Kentucky, 4-0 in College Station on Friday.

"I thought we played a really energetic and enthusiastic doubles point, it worked out and we got the point. In singles, we did a wonderful job of going on and winning the first sets on five courts, then we didn't let up in second sets and got way up to sweep the match," said head coach Geoff Macdonald.

The Commodores took an early lead over the Wildcats after securing the doubles point with sophomore Amanda Meyer and junior Christina Rosca collecting the first win for the Dores on Court 1, 6-2 over Kentucky's Tiphanie Fiquet and Alexis Merrill.

Clinching the doubles point for the Dores, Commodore pair Fernanda Contreras and Georgia Drummy held Wildcat duo Lesedi Jacobs and Anastasia Tkachenko to four games to secure the win, 6-4.

Confidently entering singles, the Dores looked to extend their lead over the Wildcats.

Putting the Commodores up, 3-2 senior Emily Smith earned her fifth-consecutive singles victory with a straight-set win over Kentucky's Tkachenko, 6-3, 6-2.

Wrapping up right behind Smith, freshman Carolyn Campana extended the Commodores' lead to 3-0 after holding Kentucky's Akvile Parainskaite to 3 games in both sets to take the win over the Wildcat, 6-3, 6-3.

No. 17 Rosca battled against Kentucky's Fiquet, outmatching the Wildcat in the first set, 6-2. Looking to earn the clinch, Rosca swiftly took the lead to take down Figuet in the second set, 6-4 securing the win for the Commodores, 4-0.

"Kentucky is a really good team and we respect them immensely. I'm very proud of the way the team fought and won today," said Macdonald.

Today's victory over Kentucky advances Vanderbilt to the semifinals of the SEC Championship for the sixth-consecutive year.

Last season, the Dores topped No. 36 Texas A&M, 4-1 in Knoxville, Tenn. to secure their spot in the 2018 SEC Championship semifinals. The Commodores went on to win the tournament with a 4-0 sweep over No. 9 Florida.

The Commodores look to repeat last year's success as they face No. 2-seed South Carolina on Saturday a 2 p.m.