.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
No. 19 Rebels Fall to No. 5 Vanderbilt
3/12/2017 | Women's Tennis
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Junior Natalie Suk took down the nation's No. 8 ranked player and freshman Anna Vrbenska also beat a ranked player Sunday, but the No. 19 Ole Miss women's tennis team dropped a hard-fought 5-2 match at No. 5 Vanderbilt.
The match had to be moved indoors to the Currey Tennis Center, as it snowed there on Saturday. Vanderbilt won a close doubles point to take the early 1-0 lead. The Commodores won 6-3 on court one and 6-4 on court two, while the No. 3 match was tied at 4.
Vanderbilt only has five indoor courts, and the Rebels won three of the five first sets. First off the court, Suk earned her biggest win of her career, defeating No. 8 ranked Sydney Campbell 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles to tie the match.
The Commodores regained the lead when No. 5 Astra Sharma defeated No. 47 Arianne Hartono 6-2, 7-5 at No. 1 singles. They increased their lead to 3-1 when Georgina Sellyn finished off Zalina Khairudinova in two tight sets, 6-4, 7-5 at No. 3 singles.
Courts four and five finished within moments of each other, but Vanderbilt's Fernanda Contreras completed a comeback against Tea Jandric on five, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to clinch the win. Moments later, Rebel freshman Anna Vrbenska concluded a win against 65th-ranked freshman Christina Roca 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 on court four.
Vanderbilt won the final match at six with Emily Smith beating Alexa Bortles 6-0, 6-3 for the 5-2 score.
At the net…
• The Rebels are now 10-4 on the year, 1-2 in the SEC
• Ole Miss dropped the doubles point for only the third time all year
• Junior Natalie Suk earned her biggest win of her career, beating No. 8 Sydney Campbell in straight sets
• Freshman Anna Vrbenska improved to 13-6 overall, 8-3 in dual matches with her fifth straight win
• Vrbenska is now 3-0 in the SEC
Complete results
Doubles
1. #20 Smith/Sharma (OM) def. #33 Hartono/Vrbenska (OM) 6-3
2. Campbell/Kurtz (VU) def. Suk/Bortles (OM) 6-4
3. Khairudinova/Jandric (OM) vs. Contreras/Rosca (VU) 4-4, sus.
Order of Finish: 1, 2
Singles
1. #5 Astra Sharma (VU) def. #47 Arianne Hartono (OM) 6-2, 7-5
2. Natalie Suk (OM) def. #8 Sydney Campbell (VU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Georgina Sellyn (VU) def. Zalina Khairudinova (OM) 6-4, 7-5
4. Anna Vrbenska (OM) def. #65 Christina Roca (VU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
5. Fernanda Contreras (VU) def. Tea Jandric (OM) 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
6. Emily Smith (VU) def. Alexa Bortles (OM) 6-0, 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 5, 4, 6
Thoughts from head coach Mark Beyers…
"I think we showed again today that we can play with any team in the country. Vanderbilt is absolutely a top 5 team. It came down to a couple of points here and there. We missed opportunities to win a set at a few spots. We did have some great individual efforts today, with Natalie picking up a top 10 win and Anna beating one of the best freshmen in the country."
Up next…
The Rebels return home to host a pair of matches, beginning with Arkansas on March 17 at 1 p.m.
For more information on Ole Miss Women's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also follow Coach Beyers on Twitter, @MarkBeyers.
Players Mentioned
