April 16, 2010
Watch Interview with Adam Baker
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s 31st-ranked men’s tennis team will put its three-match win streak on the line at noon on Saturday as the Commodores close the 2009-10 regular season at No. 8 Kentucky.
Vanderbilt (13-8, 5-5 SEC) will be looking to clinch the No. 6 seed in the SEC Tournament and post its best SEC record since 2004 when it takes on the Wildcats (22-7, 7-3 SEC). A win earns the Commodores the No. 6 seed, but a loss, coupled with an Auburn win at Alabama, would drop Vanderbilt to a No. 7 seed.
The Commodores have won three straight SEC matches for the first time since 2003 and are 13-1 this season when they win the doubles point. Among those three straight wins were two on the road at Arkansas and LSU last weekend. Vanderbilt’s win at Arkansas snapped a five-match losing skid on the road.
Kentucky will be the fifth team Vanderbilt has played this season that is currently in the top 10. The Commodores are 0-4 against those teams, but lost just 4-3 at No. 10 Georgia on March 14.
The Wildcats have won six straight matches since losing, 4-3, to Florida. Kentucky’s Eric Quigley paces the team in the No. 1 position and is ranked No. 11. Alex Musialek is ranked No. 50 and the Wildcats’ doubles team of Brad Cox and Quigley is ranked No. 23.
Vanderbilt has fared well against Kentucky as of late, winning two of its last three matchups. The Commodores lost 6-1 to the Wildcats last season in Nashville, but topped Kentucky, 4-3, in 2008 — the last matchup played in Lexington.
Saturday’s trip to Lexington will be the first of two straight for the Commodores, who will join all 12 SEC schools at the 2010 SEC Tournament at Kentucky April 22-25.
The Commodores have three players with .500 records or better in SEC play. Leading the way is freshman Ryan Lipman who is ranked 30th and holds a 6-4 record in the No. 1 singles slot after winning three straight matches.
Checking in at 5-5 in league play are senior Vijay Paul and junior Adam Baker. Junior Alex Zotov is 4-6 in the SEC. Vanderbilt has also won the doubles point in six of its 10 SEC matches.
