April 11, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Coming off one of the most difficult two-match road trips in the nation, Vanderbilt’s 31st-ranked men’s tennis team will hope to close its regular season on a high note at 12 p.m. Saturday against No. 40 Kentucky at the Boone Tennis Complex.
Vanderbilt (11-8, 3-7 Southeastern Conference) will enter Saturday’s match following losses at No. 10 Tennessee and at No. 3 Georgia. Kentucky is 11-13 overall and 3-7 in the SEC. Since both teams own identical records in conference play, Saturday’s match will have major implications on seeding in next week’s SEC Tournament in Fayetteville, Ark.
“We talked with the team about the importance of this match on Tuesday,” Vanderbilt head coach Ian Duvenhage said. “I think it is a very important match for us in a number of ways. A win would give us momentum going into the conference tournament and it is also important for us in terms of the NCAA Tournament.”
If Vanderbilt beats Kentucky, it will be seeded either No. 8 or 9 depending on how Arkansas does against LSU. If Vanderbilt loses, it will be seeded No. 10. The teams the Commodores are battling for final seeding position are Auburn (4-6 SEC), Arkansas (3-7 SEC) and Kentucky.
Both the Commodores and Wildcats have earned victories over Mississippi State and South Carolina this season. Vanderbilt’s other win came against Alabama, while Kentucky’s third win came over Auburn.
Individually, the Commodores have been led in SEC play by No. 55 Ryan Preston and Nick Cromydas. Both players lead the team with a 5-5 record in conference play. Preston has been a stalwart at the No. 1 position for three seasons, while Cromydas has played the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 positions this season. Recently, he has played in the No. 2 position the last four matches.
Like Vanderbilt, Kentucky will enter Saturday’s match having lost at Georgia (5-0) and at Tennessee (7-0). Kentucky’s lone ranked player is 19th-ranked Bruno Agostinelli. Last season, the Commodores defeated the Wildcats 6-1. Agostinelli earned Kentucky’s lone point with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win over Preston in the No. 1 position.