NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 20th-ranked Vanderbilt men’s tennis team defeated a competitive No. 27 South Carolina 5-2 at home Friday afternoon.
With the victory, the Commodores remain undefeated at home (9-0), as well as in the Southeastern Conference (4-0).
Vanderbilt opened Friday’s match by winning the doubles point and taking a 1-0 advantage.
The Commodores earned the first victory of the day in a dominating 6-2 win on court two thanks to Baker Newman and Daniel Valent. Vanderbilt’s 75th-ranked doubles team, Lachlan McPhee and Panu Virtanen, went on to secure the point with a 6-3 win over South Carolina’s Paul Jubb and Thomas Mayronne.
VU kept a commanding stronghold over the Gamecocks, starting singles with first-set advantages on five-of-six courts. No. 57 Cameron Klinger upset No. 29 Gabriel Friedrich 6-3, 6-1 to tally Vandy’s first singles win of the day and the 2-0 match lead.
Newman defeated South Carolina’s Yancy Dennis 6-1, 6-4 to put Vandy on top 3-0. The Commodore senior remains undefeated in SEC play, boasting a 4-0 record.
Vanderbilt’s George Harwell won an exhilarating match over Wood Benton 7-5, 6-1 to seal the Vanderbilt victory. Following the clinch, Maxwell Freeman earned VU’s fifth and final point in a 6-3, 6-4 win over the Gamecocks’ Mayronne.
With the score standing at 5-0, South Carolina came alive on courts four and two. Harrison O’Keefe downed Billy Rowe in a tough battle, 7-6, 2-6, 10-4, while Jubb gave South Carolina their second and final point of the match, defeating Vandy’s No. 79 Valent 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Vanderbilt will remain at home this weekend, taking on No. 12 Florida at noon on Sunday.
#20 Vanderbilt 5, #27 South Carolina 2
1. #57 Cameron Klinger (VANDY) def. #29 Gabriel Friedrich (SC) 6-3, 6-1
2. Paul Jubb (SC) def. #79 Daniel Valent (VANDY) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Baker Newman (VANDY) def. Yancy Dennis (SC) 6-1, 6-4
4. Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. Billy Rowe (VANDY) 7-6, 2-6, 10-4
5. Maxwell Freeman (VANDY) def. Thomas Mayronne (SC) 6-3, 6-4
6. George Harwell (VANDY) def. Wood Benton (SC) 7-5, 6-1
1. #57 Cameron Klinger/Billy Rowe (VANDY) vs. #34 Gabriel Friedrich/Yancy Dennis (SC) 4-5, unfinished
2. #75 Lachlan McPhee/Panu Virtanen (VANDY) def. Paul Jubb/Thomas Mayronne (SC) 6-3
3. Baker Newman/Daniel Valent (VANDY) def. Harrison O’Keefe/Wood Benton (SC) 6-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,3,6,5,4,2)
