NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis looks to generate its third straight win in a road matchup against Middle Tennessee on Wednesday.
The Dores make the short trip to Murfreesboro after taking down Belmont and Southern Indiana over the weekend. Vanderbilt holds a 32-12 all-time record in the series. However, Middle Tennessee enters victors of two in a row against the Commodores; the Blue Raiders notched their first win in 15 years in 2021, taking down Vanderbilt again in a dual match just nine days later.
Middle Tennessee has already seen its fair share of SEC teams, having faced Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee in dual match play. Each match culminated in a loss, with the closest being a 4-3 decision to Auburn. Despite the results, the Blue Raiders did remain within striking distance: Middle Tennessee captured points with wins at No. 3 and No. 5 singles against Tennessee, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles versus Auburn, and at No. 4 and No. 5 singles in its most recent match against Alabama.
Vandy’s two losses have both been to ranked opponents, falling to then-No. 23 Michigan State and No. 11 Duke. Two Commodores, freshmen Dylan Charlap and Callum Markowitz, come into the matchup on a seven match win streak in doubles. The pair are 9-2 overall this season, with multiple wins at both the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles positions. Vanderbilt is a combined 17-5 across its top four singles spots. Fifth year Henry Ruger and senior Michael Ross are pacing the Dores in singles play, both earning nine victories so far this season. Ruger leads the team in dual match singles wins with three.
Vanderbilt (5-2) visits Middle Tennessee (3-4) tomorrow with play set to begin at 5 p.m. Live streaming is available online, with live stats accessible here at the start of the match. For more information, updates, and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
