TUSCALOOSA – The 45th-ranked Alabama women’s tennis team lost, 6-1, to the eighth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores at the Alabama Tennis Stadium on Sunday. With the loss, the Crimson Tide falls to a 7-11 overall record, including a 1-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play, while the Commodores improve to 11-5 and 6-1 in league play.
Vanderbilt registered the first doubles victory of the contest, as Sydney Campbell and Emma Kurtz defeated senior Joanna Savva and sophomore Andie Daniell, 6-3. Alabama’s No. 25-ranked doubles tandem in senior Erin Routliffe and freshman Maddie Pothoff upset Vanderbilt’s No. 8-ranked doubles team in Emily Smith and Astra Sharma, 6-4. Fernanda Contreras and Christina Rosca won, 7-5, over senior Danielle Spielmann and freshman Juliana Valero giving the Commodores a 1-0 match advantage headed into singles play.
The Commodores carried that momentum into singles, as Vanderbilt won in straight sets to take an early 3-0 match lead. Georgina Sellyn topped Valero (No. 5), 6-1, 6-2, before Contreras defeated freshman Kimberley Gintrand (No. 6), 6-1, 6-1, to extend Vanderbilt’s match advantage to 3-0. Alabama responded, as Spielmann (No. 3) won in straight sets over Vanderbilt’s No. 93-ranked singles player Rosca, 6-3, 6-1, trimming the Commodores’ match lead to 3-1. The Commodores clinched the match victory with a win in straight sets, as Georgina Sellyn overcame junior Smith Hinton (No. 4) 6-4, 6-4. Vanderbilt’s No. 5-ranked singles player Sharma outlasted Alabama’s No. 38-ranked singles player Routliffe (No. 1), 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, stretching the Commodores’ match advantage to 5-1. Vanderbilt’s No. 12 ranked singles player Campbell went on to outlast Daniell (No. 2), 5-7, 6-1, 7-5, resulting in the final match score.
The Tide will be back in action on March 31, when it travels to Gainesville, Fla., to take on the Florida Gators in a match that is set to start at 4 p.m. CT.
