Hokies fall to No. 9 Vanderbilt in ITA Kickoff Weekend opening round

Tech will take on Clemson Saturday in a consolation round matchup

January 27, 2017

	F
Pitt	28
Virginia Tech	7
Box Score

BLACKSBURG – After opening the season at 2-0 last weekend, the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team suffered its first loss of the 2017 campaign Friday, as the Hokies dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 9 Vanderbilt in the first round of the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Hokies are now 2-1 on the season, while the Commodores (1-0) clinched their first dual-match win of the year.

Tech started off slow against Vanderbilt, as the team dropped back-to-back doubles matches at the No. 2 and No. 3 slot, respectively. Senior Francesca Fusinato and junior Katherine Butler suffered a 6-1 setback on court two to Vandy’s Emma Kurtz and Astra Sharma. Shortly after, the duo of senior Sansitha Nandakumar and freshman Natalie Novotna fell to Vandy’s Emily Smith and Fernanda Contreras by a score of 6-2 on court two.

Tech’s 1-0 deficit grew in singles action, as freshman Shene Disbergen fell to Vandy’s Georgina Sellyn in straight sets at the No. 4 slot (6-0, 6-0). Fusinato also dropped back-to-back sets to Sharma, ranked No. 2 in the nation, by a score of 6-2, 6-2 on court one.

Today’s match-clinching point came at the No. 5 position, as Butler dropped a 6-1, 6-2 decision to Kurtz.

Other Hokies saw action today, but the matches were halted after the fourth match point was won.

Tech will take on Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) foe Clemson on Saturday, Jan. 28, in a consolation round matchup. First serve is set for 10 a.m. ET at the Currey Tennis Center on Vanderbilt’s campus.

Of note, Clemson (2-1) also opened its season with a pair of wins, but fell to No. 2-seeded Kansas, 4-1, in the first round of the ITA Kickoff Weekend. Two Tigers – sophomores Ayan Broomfield and Ally Miller-Krasilnikov – currently rank at No. 40 and No. 84, respectively, to start the spring season.

Live results for tomorrow’s match can be found HERE.

Fans can follow all the action during each match of the 2017 season by following the squad on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Doubles Competition:

No. 1: #59 Caroline Daxhelet/Elena Cerezo-Codina (TECH) vs. #53 Sydney Campbell/Christina Rosca (VANDY), 4-3

No. 2: Emma Kurtz/Astra Sharma (VANDY) def. Katherine Butler/Francesca Fusinato (TECH), 6-1

No. 3: Emily Smith/Fernanda Contreras (VANDY) def. Natalie Novotna/Sansitha Nandakumar (TECH), 6-2

Singles Competition:

No. 1: #2 Astra Sharma (VANDY) def. Francesca Fusinato (TECH), 6-2, 6-2

No. 2: #19 Sydney Campbell (VANDY) vs. Elena Cerezo-Codina (TECH), 5-7, 3-0, unfinished

No. 3: #28 Christina Rosca (VANDY) vs. Natalie Novotna (TECH), 6-4, 5-2, unfinished

No. 4: Georgina Sellyn (VANDY) def. Shene Disbergen (TECH), 6-0, 6-0

No. 5: Emma Kurtz (VANDY) def. Katherine Butler (TECH), 6-1, 6-2

No. 6: Sansitha Nandakumar (TECH) vs. Fernanda Contreras (VANDY), no result

Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (4,1,5)

For updates on Virginia Tech women's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WTennis