NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Rainfall made it a miserable weather day in Nashville on Sunday, but the weather couldn’t put a damper on Vanderbilt’s 32nd-ranked men’s tennis team, which topped No. 30 Alabama, 5-2, inside the Currey Tennis Center.
After losing a heartbreaker at Georgia (4-3) exactly one week ago, Vanderbilt took out its week of frustration on the Crimson Tide. The Commodores won the doubles point and built a 2-0 lead in the match before holding off the Crimson Tide, 5-2. With the win, Vanderbilt improved to 10-6 overall and 2-3 in the SEC. Alabama is now 7-9 overall and 1-4 in the SEC.
“We needed that,” Head Coach Ian Duvenhage said. “We played so well last week against Georgia, but we didn’t have anything to show for it, so we kind of had a taste in our mouths all week long of playing well, but not getting a victory.”
The victory also moved Vanderbilt to 8-1 at home this season with just two home matches remaining. Unlike its last two matches the Commodores lost, Vanderbilt was able to win the doubles point Sunday by sweeping all three matches to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Vanderbilt is now 10-0 this season when it wins the doubles point.
One match after suffering his first SEC loss of the season, Vanderbilt senior Vijay Paul got back into the win column on Sunday when he knocked off Alabama’s Jarryd Botha, 6-2, 6-0, in the No. 3 position. The victory gave Vanderbilt a 2-0 lead in the match, as Paul improved to 4-1 in the SEC.
Alabama was able to pull within one, 2-1, when Ricky Doverspike knocked off Vanderbilt’s Bryant Salcedo, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), in the No. 2 position.
After Alabama was able to cut into VU’s lead, junior Alex Zotov extended Vanderbilt’s lead back to two, 3-1, when he defeated Michael Thompson, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, in the No. 4 position. It was the second straight victory for Zotov, who moved to 22-4 overall and 3-2 in SEC play.
Approximately one minute after Zotov pushed VU’s lead back to two, junior Adam Baker was able to clinch the match for the Commodores when he topped Alabama’s Houssam Yassine, 7-5, 6-3, in the No. 5 position. Baker clinched his second match of the season for the Commodores (Radford) as he won his second straight SEC match.
“We are becoming more of an attacking team,” Duvenhage said. “You don’t beat good teams playing conservatively, you’ve got to attack. You’ve got to be willing to take risks and you’ve got to get aggressive. We are getting more aggressive and it is just good to see the proof in the pudding.”
Vanderbilt would take a 5-1 lead in the match when No. 38 Ryan Lipman knocked off his second straight ranked opponent. This time it was No. 47 Saketh Myneni, who retired with Lipman leading 5-4 in the third set.
Alabama earned its second point when Vanderbilt’s Charlie Jones retired after losing the first set, 6-4, to Ian Chadwell in the No. 6 slot when the match was already in hand.
Vanderbilt swept all three doubles matches to win the doubles point and take a 1-0 lead in the match. It was the ninth time this season Vanderbilt has swept all three doubles matches, including the second time in SEC play (Mississippi State).
Adam Baker and Alex Zotov got Vanderbilt going in the right direction when they earned their second SEC victory in defeating Alabama’s Michael Davis and Saketh Myneni, 8-4, in the No. 1 position.
Clinching the doubles point was VU’s duo of Vijay Paul and Charlie Jones, who topped Alabama’s Trey Walston and Jarryd Botha, 8-6, in the No. 3 position. Leading 7-6, Jones and Paul were down 40-15 in the decisive game before rallying for the victory.
Sweeping the doubles point for the Commodores was VU’s 74th-ranked duo of Bryant Salcedo and Ryan Lipman, who defeated Alabama’s Ricky Doverspike and Michael Thompson, 9-8 (7-4), in the No. 2 position.
Vanderbilt will return to the courts at 1 p.m. on March 28 when the Commodores play at Auburn.
