Feb. 28, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Boasting a 7-1 record and a No. 29 ranking, Vanderbilt’s men’s tennis team will open Southeastern Conference play this weekend when No. 11 Florida and No. 57 South Carolina visit Music City.
The Commodores will host Florida (5-3) at 2 p.m. on Friday and South Carolina (7-2) at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Both matches will be held at the Currey Tennis center and are free to attend.
The matches will pit Vanderbilt against a ranked opponent for the sixth and seventh time, respectively, this season. The Commodores are 4-1 against opponents that were ranked at the time of their meeting, and are coming off a 5-2 victory over No. 62 Middle Tennessee State on Sunday. In all, six of Vanderbilt’s eight opponents are currently ranked with Michigan State being the only team not ranked when the two teams met.
Florida heads to Vanderbilt off a 4-3 loss to No. 22 Pepperdine on Monday. The Gators already have impressive wins over No. 13 Illinois (6-1) and No. 16 Florida State (5-2) to their credit.
Like Vanderbilt, Florida has two players ranked in singles play, led by No. 6 Greg Ouellette. Also ranked is No. 58 Alex Lacroix. Vanderbilt’s ranked players include No. 68 Vijay Paul and No. 97 Ryan Preston.
South Carolina will play at Kentucky on Friday before heading to Nashville. The Gamecocks are coming off a 5-2 setback at No. 36 Georgia Tech. South Carolina’s most notable win came against No. 60 Elon (4-0).