NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt men’s tennis continues the action this weekend at the Currey Tennis Center with a pair of doubleheaders, featuring a couple of Southeastern Conference opponents.
The Commodores welcome SEC West foe LSU at 1 p.m. Friday before returning to the courts that afternoon for a 4:30 p.m. match against Alabama A&M. They round out the weekend with a noon match Sunday against another SEC West foe, Auburn, before completing a home-and-home series against Tennessee State at 4 p.m.
The match against Tennessee State was originally scheduled for Feb. 20. Admission to all home matches are free of charge and parking is available on floors 9-11 of the 25th Avenue Garage (enter from Highland Avenue).
The Dores enter the challenging weekend with a 10-3 record on the season and 1-2 in SEC play. This season, Vandy is looking for its first conference win at home. Their lone SEC win came on the road against Arkansas on March 6, where they earned their first conference win since March 6, 2020.
Marketing Promos and Giveaways – Donuts & Dores
Vanderbilt stadium cups and phone wallets will be available for fans arriving early for our Friday doubleheader against LSU and Alabama A&M.
For Sunday’s Auburn match, Vandy will host a Donuts & Dores theme where hungry fans in attendance can enjoy a free doughnut while supplies last. Schedule posters will also be available for both doubleheaders this weekend.
Cracked Racquets’ SEC Redzone
- Both the SEC Network and Cracked Racquets have announced a partnership that allows more coverage of collegiate tennis within the conference.
- The SEC Redzone broadcasts are set to run for Friday SEC and nonconference matchups throughout the regular season. This week’s slate is highlighted by Vandy hosting LSU and Alabama A&M.
- In conjunction with the live broadcasts of matches, Cracked Racquets will produce a weekly SEC focused show to highlight upcoming events and recap matches.
Debriefing
The Dores continued their competitive slate with a trio of matches last week. Originally scheduled for Feb. 20, Vandy welcomed Big Ten Foe Northwestern, who was ranked No. 12 at the time, for a mid-week match last Wednesday. The squad knocked off the top 20 opponent in an upset win, 6-1, and was the first time the Dores won over the Wildcats since Jan. 19, 2019.
The Dores had a challenge on the road facing SEC opponent Texas A&M, who’s now ranked at No. 22 nationally. Vandy couldn’t quite dig itself out of an early hole and ultimately dropped a 5-2 decision to the Aggies last Friday in College Station, Texas. Rounding out last weekend, the Dores bounced back from their loss at Texas A&M with a hard-fought 4-3 home win against Drake last Sunday. The match with the Bulldogs was originally set for Feb. 4.
Scouting the Opponents
- LSU (9-5, 1-3 SEC): The last time the Dores won over LSU was April 4, 2019, when the squad broke its three-match losing streak after taking down the Tigers, 5-2, at the Currey Tennis Center. Since then, LSU has been on a two-match winning streak against the Dores. LSU captured its first conference win on the season after upsetting Ole Miss, who was ranked 20th nationally at the time. The victory marked its first top-20 win since last April when the Tigers defeated Alabama, 4-1. Sophomore Ronald Hohmann sits in the top 50 in the latest ITA singles rankings.
- Alabama A&M (2-5): The Bulldogs have two wins on the season with both resulting in sweeps – Mississippi Valley State last Thursday and Prairie View A&M last Monday.
- Auburn (13-3, 2-1 SEC): The last time the Dores won against the Tigers was March 6, 2020, in a 4-1 dominant performance in Auburn, Alabama. The victory marked the first conference win for the 2019-20 season. The season before, the Dores beat Auburn at home in convincing fashion, 6-1, on March 8, 2019. Currently, Auburn is in a tie for fourth in the SEC standings with a 2-1 conference record and 13-3 overall. Heading into Sunday, the Tigers have only one conference loss after falling short 4-3 at Arkansas. A trio of Tigers are ranked in the most recent ITA singles rankings – 83 Tyler Stice, No. 110 Tad Maclean and No. 124 Jan Galka.
- Tennessee State (2-11): This season, the Dores defeated all of their Nashville opposition (Belmont, Lipscomb and Tennessee State) after a 5-0 victory over Tennessee State on Feb. 18 at the Currey Tennis Center. Since then, Tennessee State has picked up two wins on the season, both at home.
Rise in ITA Rankings
- In the current ITA team rankings, the Dores jump into the top 30 at No. 29 after holding a 10-3 record on the season and picking up an upset win over Northwestern, who was ranked No. 12 at the time.
- George Harwell, a fifth-year senior and No. 1 singles player, jumped 15 spots to No. 39 in the ITA singles rankings last week.
- Junior Siim Troost and freshman Michael Ross cracked the doubles rankings last week at 76th nationally, together the pair owns an 8-3 record on the top court. The achievement also marks the first time Ross has been ranked individually in his career.
Klopper Earned SEC Honors
The junior was named SEC Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Feb. 16.
A native of Bloemfontein, South Africa, Klopper, was honored for his 7-0 dual record at the time, which included three wins during the doubleheader against ACC foe Virginia Tech and The Citadel on Feb. 13. Klopper clinched the match against the Hokies in a two-set thriller, 7-6 (2), 6-4, on Court 2. Later in the afternoon, Klopper moved up to the top singles spot to defeat his Bulldogs opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0.
Currently, he has a combined 35-13 record including 21-7 in singles and 14-6 in doubles. During the dual season, Klopper’s 15-8 record is highlighted by singles play at 9-4.
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On the Radar
Vandy is set to host its last three matches of the month next week, featuring Big Ten and SEC play. Next week’s slate starts with a mid-week match against Big Ten foe Indiana for next Wednesday, concluding Vandy’s nonconference schedule. The match against the Hoosiers was originally scheduled as a neutral matchup in Auburn, Alabama, on Jan. 30. The Dores close out the weekend with SEC play against No. 13 Kentucky next Friday and Alabama next Sunday.
