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No. 20 Vanderbilt Defeats In-State Rival Memphis, 6-1

1/28/2005

NASHVILLE — The 20th-ranked Vanderbilt men’s tennis team defeated in-state rival Memphis, 6-1, Friday at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center.

“I’m pleased about where we are right now,” Head Coach Ken Flach said. “This was a test against a pretty good team. Everyone on our side is playing well, and we are further along than I thought we would be at this point.”

The Commodores weathered a tough fight from the Tigers to sweep doubles’ competition and win the first point of the match.

Sophomore Andy Mack and freshman Ryan Preston won their third consecutive match at No. 2 doubles, an 8-4 win over Garrison Pilant and Alex Bucewicz, to start Vanderbilt off in the right direction.
VU’s top-seeded pairing of senior Scott Brown and freshman Jason Pinsky would clinch the point with an 8-5 victory over James Spence and Scott Felsenthal.

Senior Matt Lockin and sophomore Jordan Magarik put the finishing touches on the sweep, defeating Alex Jago and Mark Finnegan at No. 3 doubles, 9-8 (4).

In singles play, the Commodores continued the onslaught, taking five first sets from the Tigers. Pinsky was the first Dore to finish off his opponent, taking a 6-2, 6-2 decision from Finnegan.

Brown quickly followed his doubles’ partner off the court, continuing his undefeated streak at No. 1 singles wiht a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Spence.

“We’re off to a good start this season,” Brown said. “Right now our team is down to six guys, but the freshmen are really stepping up and everyone is playing well. I’m happy with how the season is going so far.”

Lockin, the team’s other senior, clinched the match with a win at No. 2 singles. Lockin defeated Bucewicz, 6-2, 7-6, to ensure the team’s fourth win of the young season.

Memphis would earn its lone point at No. 4 singles, where Jago defeated VU’s Preston. The Commodore newcomer stepped up to No. 4 on Friday after playing at No. 5 and No. 6 in the previous three matches.

Mack and Magarik would post victories at fifth and sixth singles for Vanderbilt to take the match’s final tally to a decisive 6-1.

The Commodores will be off until Sunday, Feb. 6, when they play host to Tennessee Tech at 1 p.m. CT in the Currey Tennis Center.

No. 20 Vanderbilt 6, Memphis 1

Agate:

Singles
1. Scott Brown (VU) def. James Spence (UM), 6-4, 6-2
2. Matt Lockin (VU) def. Alex Bucewicz (UM), 6-2, 7-6
3. Jason Pinsky (VU) def. Mark Finnegan (UM), 6-2, 6-2
4. Alex Jago (UM) def. Ryan Preston (VU), 7-6, 7-5
5. Andy Mack (VU) def. Scott Felsenthal (UM), 6-3, 7-5
6. Jordan Magarik (VU) def. Bryan Bankester (UM), 6-3, 6-7, 1-0*
* – Super tiebreaker (first to 10 points by two)
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2!, 5, 4, 6

Doubles
1. Brown/Pinsky (VU) def. Spence/Felsenthal (UM), 8-5
2. Mack/Preston (VU) def. Pilant/Bucewicz (UM), 8-4
3. Lockin/Magarik (VU) def. Jago/Finnegan (UM), 9-8 (4)
Order of finish: 2, 1!, 3

! – Clinched point, match