March 4, 2007
The Auburn women's tennis team fell, 5-2, to No.17 Vanderbilt on Sunday at the Auburn Intramural Courts. It was a hard loss after already being beat by the Kentucky Wildcats, 4-3, on Friday.
"I'm very proud of our effort today," said Auburn head coach Tim Gray. "Friday's match took a lot out of us emotionally, but we bounced back and showed great heart."
The weekend's defeats leave the Tigers with a 5-4 overall record, and two consecutive losses at the beginning of SEC play.
In doubles play, Auburn saw trouble from the start. On court No. 3, freshman Jil Hastenrath and sophomore Kelly Adams were taken, 8-2, by the Commodore's Liberty Sveke and Courtney Ulery. Auburn's freshman Fani Chifchieva and sophomore Whitney Chappell were defeated, 8-4, in match No.2 by Taka Bertand and Catherine Newman.
The Tigers, however, did have a bright spot shining on court No.1. Vanderbilt's No.17 doubles team, Amanda Fish and Amanda Taylor, were hammered, 7-1, by sophomore Alex Haney and freshman Melissa Koning in a tiebreaker that led Auburn to an ,8-7, victory.
Auburn went into the singles matches, 1-0, and was never given the chance to take back the lead. On court No. 6, freshman Heather Bybee dropped her match against Vanderbilt's Liberty Sveke, 6-1, 6-1. The same could be said for the Tiger's Whitney Chappell and Melissa Koning, who were defeated in matches No.4 and No.2. Chappell was struck down, 6-2, 6-4, in the No.4 spot by Taka Bertand, and Koning was swept by Amanda Taylor on the No.2 court, 6-3, 6-2.
While Vanderbilt had already secured the match, court No.1 continued to shine as Auburn's Fani Chifchieva trounced Amanda Fish, 6-3, 6-1.
The Tigers put up a fight in match No.5, as Jil Hastenrath battled it out with the Commodore's Courtney Ulery. After playing two sets, the match was settled with a tiebreaker that Ulery claimed, 4-5, 6-2, 10-5.
A breathtaking tiebreaker decided the fate of the No. 3 spot as well, but this time, Auburn's Alex Haney hung on long enough to dominate Catherine Newman, 6-3, 7-6, 10-5.
The Auburn women's tennis team will be on the road for their next three matches. Their next match will be against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on March 9 at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre at 2 p.m. CT.
1. Fani Chifchieva (AU) def. Amanda Fish (VU) 6-3, 6-1
2. Amanda Taylor (VU) def. Melissa Koning (AU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Alex Haney (AU) def. Catherine Newman (VU) 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 10-6
4. Taka Bertand (VU) def. Whitney Chappell (AU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Courtney Ulery (VU) def. Jil Hastenrath (AU) 4-5, 6-2, 10-5
6. Liberty Sveke (VU) def. Heather Bybee (AU) 6-1, 6-1
1. Alex Haney/Melissa Koning (AU) def. Amanda Fish/Amanda Taylor (VU) 8-7 (7-1)
2. Taka Bertand/Catherine Newman (VU) def. Fani Chifchieva/Whitney Chappell (AU) 8-4
3. Liberty Sveke/Courtney Ulery (VU) def. Jil Hastenrath/Kelly Adams (AU) 8-2