Blue Raiders Fall at VU, 6-1

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee's women's tennis team ran up against a buzz saw Tuesday afternoon, dropping a 6-1 decision to 14th-ranked Vanderbilt at the Brownlee O. Currey, Jr., Tennis Center.

The Commodores won all three doubles point and five of the six singles matches, dropping the Blue Raiders to 3-3 on the season.

"There's a reason Vandy is a Top 15 country every year," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "But our girls did a good job. There were a lot of long points and we did everything we've been practicing for the last six months. We've got a long ways to go and the girls really learned a lot."

Vandy's Amanda Fish and Taka Bertrand defeated Marlene Chemin and Elvira Yusupova, 8-2, at No. 2, before Liberty Sveke and Courtney Ulery gave VU the doubles point with an 8-4 triumph at No. 3 over Pooja Kommireddi and Ann-Kristin Siljestrom. At No. 1 doubles Amanda Taylor and Maggie Yahner won 8-2 over Kelly Adams and Claudia Szabo.

In singles the Commodores won five of the six singles matches, all in straight sets.

Fish defeated Chemin at No. 1, 6-0, 6-1, while 47th-ranked Bertrand won 6-0, 6-0, over Szabo at No. 2. Taylor took care of Yusupova at No. 3, 6-1, 6-0, and Ulery defeated Siljestrom, 6-3, 6-3, at No. 4. Vandy's Caroline Ferrell won 6-0, 6-1, over Adams at No. 5. Kommireddi was the only Blue Raider to post a win, defeating Sveke at No. 6, 7-5, 2-1, retired.

Middle Tennessee hits the road this weekend for a pair of matches, taking on Troy Friday at 5 p.m. and UAB Sunday at 10 a.m.

#14 Vanderbilt 6, Middle Tennessee 1
SINGLES
1. Amanda Fish (VU) def. Marlene Chemin (MT), 6-0, 6-2
2. (47) Taka Bertrand (VU) def. Claudia Szabo (MT), 6-0, 6-0
3. Amanda Taylor (VU) def. Elvira Yusupova (MT), 6-1, 6-0
4. Courtney Ulery (VU) def. Ann-Kristin Siljestrom (MT), 6-3, 6-3
5. Caroline Ferrell (VU) def. Kelly Adams (MT), 6-0, 6-1
6. Pooja Kommireddi (MT) def. Liberty Sveke (VU), 7-5, 2-1, ret.

DOUBLES
1. Taylor-Maggie Yahner (VU) def. Adams-Szabo (MT), 8-2
2. Fish-Bertrand (VU) def. Chemin-Yusupova (MT), 8-3
3. Sveke-Ulery (VU) def. Kommireddi-Siljestrom (MT), 8-4

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