Jan. 13, 2010
After advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and 2008, Vanderbilt’s men’s tennis team had hopes of taking an even larger step forward in 2009. Unfortunately, a 5-17 season derailed any chance the Commodores had of taking that next step in the postseason.
One year later, Vanderbilt is poised to erase the memory of last season and return to the NCAA Tournament in 2010.
Led by fifth-year Head Coach Ian Duvenhage, the 55th-ranked Commodores enter the spring season on the heels of one of the most successful fall campaigns under Duvenhage.
Among the many highlights this fall was the doubles play of sophomore Charlie Jones and junior Adam Baker, who knocked off the nation’s No. 1 doubles team en route to winning the doubles title at the Crimson Tide Invitational. Also, freshman Ryan Lipman finished runner-up in singles at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional and senior Vijay Paul and Lipman advanced to the semifinals in doubles at the same tournament.
The team’s success in the fall, combined with its hunger to return to the NCAA Tournament, has Duvenhage and the Commodores chomping at the bit to start the spring.
“I am very excited to start the season,” Duvenhage said. “I feel like we have the potential to be a great team. The guys are very motivated, they want it very badly, and they’ve worked very hard.”
Thankfully, the Commodores won’t have to wait much longer. On Saturday, Vanderbilt will host a double-header at the Currey Tennis Center against Belmont and Chattanooga. The Belmont match will begin at 9 a.m. and the Chattanooga match will start at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free to each match.
When the Commodores take the courts on Saturday, they will be doing so with one of the deepest and most experienced teams Duvenhage has had at Vanderbilt. Of the 10 players on the roster, seven are upperclassmen. That experience will provide Duvenhage with flexibility with his lineup.
“I do feel like we have some leeway there with our lineup,” Duvenhage said. “We do have depth, so we do have some (flexibility), but your top six guys are your top six guys because they are the best players. Anytime you have to take one of them out, even though you may have a very good option at Nos. 7 and 8, there is a reason those players are Nos. 7 and 8. With that said, we aren’t short-handed at all.”
One of those players who will provide Duvenhage with flexibility is senior Vijay Paul, who enters the season ranked No. 71. A co-captain with junior Adam Baker, Paul played the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 positions last season and will be a key for Vanderbilt in 2010.
“I definitely feel like he’s grown up a lot,” Duvenhage said. “Vijay is not by nature an aggressive person, but he’s done a terrific job of being a vocal, involved leader.”
Joining Paul in the senior class are Scott Lieberman and James Moye, who will both provide veteran presence and leadership to the team. Lieberman and Moye both won a pair of matches in the fall.
In addition to its three seniors, Vanderbilt will also get a lot of leadership from an experienced junior class of Adam Baker, Andy Pulido, Bryant Salcedo and Alex Zotov. Baker, Salcedo and Zotov are three of the most seasoned players on the team. All three have been in Vanderbilt’s lineup since they were freshmen and each will play a vital role for Vanderbilt this season.
Like Vijay Paul, Bryant Salcedo was used in the top three positions last year and will likely remain at the top of Vanderbilt’s lineup this season. Last year he finished 4-7 in the No. 2 position.
“Bryant’s problem has never been his game,” Duvenhage said. “He’s had game from day one. Bryant has just had to grow up and he has grown up a lot. Like with all of us, the growing process never stops. He’s not there, but he’s a different person than he was six months ago and you are going to see he’s going to be a different player.
“To what extent he’s going to be a different player remains to be seen. He can be as good as anybody, but he’s worked really hard at it.”
Baker played in the No. 4 position last year and compiled a 9-13 overall record in the spring. Baker will again be in the mix as one of VU’s top six players this season.
“Adam is his own worst enemy,” Duvenhage said. “When things go well, he’s a rough customer to play, but when things don’t go well, he gets very down on himself. He’s starting to learn to forgive himself for his mistakes. Nobody makes those mistakes woefully and on purpose. If you can’t give yourself a break, no one else will give you a break.”
Zotov was one of Vanderbilt’s most consistent players last season. Playing in the Nos. 5 and 6 positions throughout the year, Zotov finished the year with an 11-7 record and led the team with a 7-4 mark in the SEC. Zotov continued his strong play into the fall when he posted a 9-2 record.
Pulido will also add depth and another veteran presence to the team. This past fall Pulido picked up a pair of wins at the Crimson Tide Invitational.
Vanderbilt relied heavily on its freshman class of Charlie Jones and Alex DiValerio last season, and the two will be counted on again this spring.
After missing the end of last season due to injury, Jones returned in the fall and tied for the team lead with a 10-3 singles record. Before his injury, Jones was entrenched at the No. 5 position and finished the spring with a 10-7 record, including a 4-3 mark in the SEC. Jones enters the spring ranked No. 53 in singles.
“Charlie is ready to make that next step,” Duvenhage said. “He’s so quietly driven and you wouldn’t know it because he’s not a big talker. My hunch is that what we’ve seen from him is just the tip of the iceberg.”
DiValerio had a strong spring playing sparingly in the No. 6 position for Vanderbilt as a freshman. After going 7-6 in the fall, DiValerio will be in the mix for playing time again this spring.
The youngest player on Vanderbilt’s roster is also the team’s highest ranked player. Freshman Ryan Lipman tied for the team lead this fall with a 10-3 record in his first season of college tennis, and this spring he is ranked No. 29 and will likely begin the season in the No. 1 singles position — a feat that no other true freshman has done under Duvenhage.
“I don’t know what will happen as the year goes on, but he will probably start at No. 1 for us,” Duvenhage said. “Clearly, that is not something that happens very often.”
With Lipman at the No. 1 position, it will enable Duvenhage to move other players down a slot from last year, which will only strengthen an already deep and experienced team.
“The NCAA Tournament is always the goal,” Duvenhage said. “Last year, not making the tournament was unacceptable.”
Given the addition of one of the nation’s top junior players in Lipman, and the added experience of the rest of the team, the Commodores appear to be headed back in the right direction, and will have an opportunity to return to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons.