Dores Visit Dogs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis travels to Athens for a Thursday evening contest against Georgia in an effort to end its losing skid.

The Commodores have dropped eight straight matches, including Sunday’s 4-0 defeat to Florida. Vanderbilt last notched a victory over Georgia in 2003: head coach Scott Brown was a sophomore for the Dores that season.

Fifth year Henry Ruger has paced the team in singles play, leading the way with 10 dual match wins to go along with a 15-10 overall singles record. Junior Nathan Cox and senior Michael Ross remain the only Commodores in the ITA rankings at No. 37 in doubles. The two are tied for a team-high six doubles wins and own three victories against ranked opponents in the spring season.

Georgia is 62-7 against Vanderbilt all-time, including a 25-1 record since 2000. The Bulldogs are off to an 11-7 start with a 5-3 record in SEC play, good for fourth in the conference standings. They are up to No. 28 in the most recent ITA team rankings.

Oscar Pinto Sansano tops the team in dual match wins with 14, playing primarily at the No. 4 and No. 5 positions. Three Bulldogs are ranked in singles: No. 25 Thomas Paulsell, No. 31 Miguel Perez Peña and No. 34 Ryan Colby. In doubles, Georgia is led by No. 26-ranked Freddy Blaydes and Niels Ratiu; the two are 10-5 in dual match play while racking up five ranked victories. Rounding out the Bulldogs in the doubles rankings is No. 57-ranked Perez Peña and Pinto Sansano.

No. 56 Vanderbilt (8-11, 1-8 SEC) visits No. 28 Georgia (11-7, 5-3 SEC) tomorrow with play set to begin at 5 p.m. Live streaming will be available online. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.