State Women's Tennis Fights Hard, Falls To No. 11 Vandy 4-2

Sunday, March 30

Starkville

1:00 p.m.

Mississippi State

Vanderbilt

State Women's Tennis Fights Hard, Falls To No. 11 Vandy 4-2

March 30, 2008 | Women's Tennis

By: hailstate.com

STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Despite a pair of upset victories over ranked players, the 63rd-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team fell to #11 Vanderbilt 4-2 Sunday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on campus. The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 7-9 overall with the loss and 0-8 in league play. Vanderbilt improved to 15-3, 5-3.

For the second consecutive match, singles matches were played first due the threat of inclement weather later in the day.

Vanderbilt took a 3-0 match lead with three straight-set victories in the first three matches completed on the afternoon. On court No. 1, 22nd-ranked Amanda Taylor bested Lady Bulldog Martina Banikova 6-2, 6-0. Then, 94th-ranked Taka Bertrand posted a 6-1, 6-1 victory over State's Elna de Villiers at the No. 3 position. At the No. 5 spot, MSU's DeAndra Saddler would fall victim to VU's Keilly Ulery 6-3, 6-4.

Mississippi State would come right back with a 6-4, 7-6(4) upset victory on court No. 4 by Radka Ferancova, who downed Vanderbilt's 58th-ranked Courtney Ulery. The win was Ferancova's first win over a ranked opponent while at State.

However, the Commodores would prove to be too strong in the match-clincher that would come at No. 6, where VU's Caroline Ferrell outlasted MSU's Valeriya Makarycheva 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

Mississippi State would finish off the match with another upset victory on court No. 2. State's Renee Joseph upended 34th-ranked Catherine Newman 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. The win marked the second-highest ranked opponent Joseph had ever defeated.

“I am really proud of the way our girls played today” commented head coach Tracy Lane. “We just played the 11th-best team in the country extremely well and that gives us something to build on for next weekend.”

Mississippi State will now head out on the road to play at #27 LSU this Friday, April 4, at 3 p.m. CT and then continue on to meet 13th-ranked Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., this Sunday, April 6, at 12 p.m. CT.

#11 Vanderbilt 4, #63 Mississippi State 2
March 30, 2008 ? Starkville, Miss.

SINGLES ? #22 Amanda Taylor (VU) def. Banikova (MSU) 6-2, 6-0; Renee Joseph (MSU) def. #34 Catherine Newman (VU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3; #94 Taka Bertrand (VU) def. Elna de Villiers (MSU) 6-1, 6-1; Radka Ferancova (MSU) def. #58 Courtney Ulery (VU) 6-4, 7-6(4); Keilly Ulery (VU) def. DeAndra Saddler (MSU) 6-3, 6-4; Caroline Ferrell (VU) def. Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.
DOUBLES ? not contested

(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)