NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s men’s tennis team concluded its regular season on Saturday, falling to No. 12 Kentucky, 6-1, on Senior Day at the Currey Tennis Center.
No. 55 Vanderbilt (5-16, 1-10 SEC) was able to take a 1-0 lead in the match by sweeping the doubles point, however, Kentucky (16-9, 6-5 SEC) came roaring back to sweep all six singles matches.
By claiming the doubles point, Vanderbilt was able to take a 1-0 lead in the match for the third time in the last five matches. The Commodores didn’t just win the doubles point; they swept all three matches. It was just the second time in SEC play (Mississippi State) that Vanderbilt won all three doubles matches.
Vijay Paul and Nick Cromydas combined to give Vanderbilt its first doubles win by dispatching Kentucky’s duo of Graeme Dyce and Eric Quigley, 8-4, in the No. 2 position. The win moved the duo’s record to 4-1 in the SEC.
Clinching the doubles point was Vanderbilt’s 35th-ranked duo of Adam Baker and Alex Zotov, who defeated No. 18 Bruno Agostinelli and Brad Cox, 9-8 (7-4), in the No. 1 position.
Vanderbilt concluded the sweep when Alex DiValerio and Bryant Salcedo defeated Kentucky’s Alberto Gonzalez and Alex Musialek, 8-6, in the No. 3 position.
The Commodores looked in full control of the match following their doubles performance, but everything changed in singles play. Kentucky was able to even the match at one when Alex Musialek defeated Vanderbilt’s Adam Baker, 6-2, 6-0, in the No. 4 singles position.
The Wildcats would then win the remaining singles matches to clinch the overall match. The loss ended Vanderbilt’s two-match win streak against the Wildcats and also cemented their No. 12 seed in the SEC Tournament.
The match lasted three hours and 40 minutes and was briefly delayed on three occasions due to scattered rainfall. Before the match, Vice Chancellor David Williams presented Cromydas with a framed jersey in honor of his last match at Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt and the rest of the league will convene in Auburn, Ala., beginning Thursday for the SEC Tournament.
