Feb. 20, 2007
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech will travel to Nashville Thursday for a matchup between a pair of the nation’s top 25 teams when the Vanderbilt Commodores host the Yellow Jackets at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Jackets are 7-1 on the season after cruising to a 7-0 victory over 68th-ranked Auburn this past weekend, while Vandy stands at 3-5 on the season. Live stats for Thursday’s match will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Updated rankings are scheduled to be released Wednesday afternoon, with new team, singles and doubles standings, but the Yellow Jackets currently stand at No. 3 in the nation while the Commodores are ranked 25th.
Vanderbilt holds an 8-2 lead in the series, but Tech won last year’s match over the `Dores, 7-0, in Atlanta. This week’s meeting will mark the first time since the 1994 season that Vandy will be ranked below No. 12 in the nation when the two teams square off.
The Jackets have been playing some of their best tennis of late, with four different players having recorded at least five singles (out of a maximum of eight total) victories on the season, with another three posting four singles wins. Rookie Amanda Craddock has posted a perfect 6-0 record in dual matches in 2007 and is 17-6 overall in her first year on the Flats.
Another rookie, Kirsten Flower, has posted a stellar 5-2 mark this spring, as has sophomore Christy Striplin, who leads the team with 20 overall singles wins this year.
Juniors Kristi Miller and Whitney McCray, playing their first season together in doubles, have gone 5-2 at the top doubles slot and have an overall .700 winning percentage this year.
Following Thursday’s match, the Jackets will return to Atlanta for a match against Denver Saturday at 12 noon. Livestats for that match will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.