Vanderbilt Lacrosse Season Begins With Major Challenge Against No. 10 Tigers
Vanderbilt Lacrosse is Set for First Draw
Tomorrow is the first game for the Vanderbilt Lacrosse team, as they will take on the Clemson Tigers, who are No. 10 in the country according to the KANE Women’s Division I Media Poll. The Dores have some noticeable returning experience in preseason All-AAC selections Brooke Baker, Alex Gladding, and Nancy Halleron.
Those major pieces are paired with a somewhat young team, and that is exciting. Coach Beth Hewitt is steadily bringing the right people to Nashville, and those that want to compete. Players you will see tomorrow and this season include junior attack Avery Morton, who has appeared in 18 games in two seasons for the Dores but has not played a bunch. Still, her leadership is there and she is ready to take it to a new level on the field.
Coach Hewitt spoke on how she is one of the players on this team that have experience in this game in different ways.
“You know, Avery Morton has played for the Canadian Under 20 team, played on the world stage in a lot of different tournaments. And so, you know, I think she’s gotten a lot of good minutes. Not necessarily here at Vanderbilt,” said Hewitt. “She’s played, just hasn’t been in a consistent starting role for us. But I think, you know, we’re excited about what she’s gonna bring this year.”
Then there are the younger ones that are looking to break into their careers and make huge impacts for Vanderbilt Lacrosse. Attack Hayden Miller was a four-star Inside Lacrosse prospect and won a lot at the high school level in the state of North Carolina, where she played and started four years at Cardinal Gibbons High School.
Hewitt sees the maturity from the freshman already, and that is always something to be excited about from a freshman.
“I just think, you know, she plays well beyond her years. And I think, you surround her with a bunch of talented older players, and I think she’s gonna come along pretty quickly.”
Gabby Putman is a freshman midfield that is expected to be a big factor already as a two-way midfielder. Putman will also be on the draw, something that Vanderbilt has looked to improve since last season. Putman is a USA All-American and came in highly touted as No. 38 on the Nike Lacrosse/Inside Lacrosse Women’s Power 100 Freshman Rankings.
“She’s gonna play a big role for us. She’s our draw kid and is gonna be a two-way midfielder for us. And, you know, she’s playing right next to Brooke Baker, and I think Brooke’s experience has been really good for her. But I think Gabby has played in a lot of those big games,” Hewitt said. “She comes out of Syracuse, New York, again another big area for lacrosse. She won a state championship, so she’s been in a lot of big moments and played against some of the best competition.”
A high level competitor and someone that Hewitt and the Commodores are looking at as a mature person that just wants to be the best and do what is needed to be the best.
“I think, you know, she steps out on the field and I don’t see the moment being too big for her. You know, she comes across like an upperclassman to me when she’s out on the field and she’s a competitor,” Hewitt explained. “You know, that’s the first thing she said to me when she got here. She’s like, I want to compete, Beth, you know, I wanna be the best. And from the moment she stepped on the field, from the fall, she’s out there working and she wants to get better every day.”
This player is not new to Vanderbilt, but she will start out as the starting goalie for the season, and that is sophomore Emme Martin. Martin started two games and made nine appearances in 2025, with 30 saves. Beth Hewitt and staff decided to go with Martin due to her action and preparation in the fall. You have to stop the other team from scoring as best you can to win. I know that is a duh statement, and Martin shows something that they like.
Hewitt mentioned how she wants 10 or more saves a game, and last season they did not do a great enough job of reaching that mark. They hovered around the seven or eight range.
“That just wasn’t giving us enough stops, and so they know that. We’ve talked a lot about that this year, and some of it is our defense. We’ve gotta play better defense in front of them too,” said Hewitt. “We gotta ride better, do some of the little things. But right now I think, you know, you’re gonna see Emme get the start against Clemson and hopefully she gets off to a great start.”
While Martin is the starting goalie for now, the defensive help to take pressure off of her is very crucial. I asked Hewitt how her team can protect the goalie better, so it is not just an all out attack on her. As a person that is trying to understand lacrosse better, Coach Hewitt explained it well.
“I think we just have to play better team defense. You know, starting from our attackers through our mids and doing a better job of just riding all the way down the field. You know, we can’t give up some of those easy fast break goals or fast break goals off the draw,” Hewitt broke down to me. “I think we just gotta slow the ball a little bit better than we did last year. So that’s been a big point of emphasis for us. And then again, just getting some of the communication going on the defensive end and that does start with the goalie and making sure they’re really being the director back there.”
Going into Saturday’s game at No. 10 Clemson, Coach Hewitt is looking for limited mistake play from the team and to just worry about their job as a team. Don’t worry or think about the name on the jersey or who you are against.
“I think, you know, anytime you’re going up against those top 10 teams, ACC teams, we know that. But we just have to play our game and not worry about, you know, the name on the jersey, right? You just gotta play your game and be consistent,” Hewitt stated. “And to me, every time we step on the field, it’s about effort. And, you know, we can’t worry about the name on the jersey. We can’t worry about the name on the back of the jersey either. We gotta worry about us, playing as a unit and playing harder than the person we line up against.”
The Commodores will face the Tigers in Clemson, S.C., Saturday at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT. You can catch the action on ACCNX. Keep up with Vanderbilt Lacrosse this season and also future features here at Mays Sports Media. For the complete conversation with Coach Beth Hewitt, visit the YouTube link below.
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