NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s tennis team caught a glimpse of its 2023 season with the annual ITA Kickoff Weekend Draft as announced Thursday afternoon. With the 11th pick of the afternoon, the Commodores selected to head east to Raleigh, North Carolina, hosted by North Carolina State.
The tournament is set to take place Jan. 27-28 with a spot in Seattle on the line for the ITA Indoor Championships. No. 2 seed Vanderbilt will face No. 39 Furman in the first round (Jan. 27) with the winner advancing to the regional final against the winner of NC State vs. Illinois.
The Commodores finished the 2022 season ranked 26th nationally and earned a berth to the NCAA Super Regionals at Texas A&M. In the doubles tournament, Anna Ross and Holly Staff were tabbed All-Americans with a run to the quarterfinals, ultimately falling to the top-seeded duo of NC State in three sets.
Vanderbilt returns a strong group next season, with four returners ranked in the Ohio Valley region top-16 singles (No. 2 Ross; T-No. 4 Anessa Lee and Staff; No. 16 Marcella Cruz). They also return the top-ranked doubles team in the region and No. 16 nationally pair in Ross and Staff. With a sixth-ranked recruiting class, the Commodores will also add two new faces in the fall who look to make an immediate impact.
Last season, the Commodores traveled to Berkely, California, where they advanced to the ITA Kickoff Weekend regional final. The team last advanced to the championship site in 2019 where they advanced to the second round in Seattle.