NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the Vanderbilt women’s tennis team off to a quick 3-0 start to the dual-match season, it now prepares for two difficult weekend home matches. Vanderbilt, who is ranked No. 8 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, will square off with No. 54-ranked Virginia at 12 p.m. Saturday. The Commodores will conclude the weekend at 12 p.m. Sunday against No. 43-ranked Baylor. Admission for both matches is free.

While the Commodores already have three matches under their belt, the Cavaliers and Bears will be competing in their first dual matches of the 2003 season.

Besides its perfect record, Vanderbilt has yet to yield one individual defeat in its three matches. Vanderbilt has defeated Louisville, No. 64 Michigan State and No. 62 Middle Tennessee State by a combined match score of 21-0.

Just like the Commodores, both the Cavaliers and Bears are fairly young teams. Of the nine players on Virginia’s roster, only two of them are seniors. On the other hand, the Bears have one senior on a roster of six.

Phil Rogers, who is in his 21st season with the Cavaliers, will bring a deep but young team to the Brownlee O. Currey Tennis Center. Rogers’ roster includes two seniors, one junior, two sophomores and four freshmen. Seniors Henriette Williams and Jennifer Tuchband bring a wealth of talent and experience to the Virginia team. In the ITA East Regional poll, Tuchband is ranked No. 13 and Williams stands at No. 17. The two are also the Cavaliers No. 1 doubles team, and they are ranked No. 11 in the east region.

Led by first year head coach Joey Scrivano, Baylor will bring an international flavor to Nashville. The Bears have only one player from the United States, while the other five come from Germany, Slovenia, Croatia and Spain. Leading the way is the Bears lone senior Vida Mulec, who is ranked No. 45 nationally and No. 2 in the southwest region by the ITA. Freshman Stephanie Balzert and sophomore Daria Potapova also earned regional rankings, as Balzert is No. 18 and Potapova in No. 22 in the southwest.