Feb. 4, 2010
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After playing four straight matches on the road, Vanderbilt’s 49th-ranked men’s tennis team returns home this weekend to host a pair of Big Ten schools.
The Commodores will open the weekend at 2 p.m. on Friday when No. 36 Northwestern pays a visit to the Currey Tennis Center. Vanderbilt will close the weekend by playing Purdue at noon on Sunday.
Vanderbilt enters the weekend with a 4-2 record having ended a two-match losing skid last Sunday when the Commodores knocked off No. 70 Radford, 6-1. Northwestern is also 4-2 on the season and will be playing its third straight road match when it travels to Nashville. Friday’s match will be Vanderbilt’s fifth in a row against a ranked opponent.
The Wildcats opened the season with a 4-0 record before losing matches to No. 7 Georgia and No. 20 Miami at the ITA Kick-off Weekend. Earlier this season Northwestern defeated No. 18 Alabama, 4-3. The two teams last faced each other in 2007 with Vanderbilt winning at Northwestern, 6-1.
Purdue is 5-0 this season and will host Toledo on Friday before making the trek to Music City. Vanderbilt is 2-3 all-time against the Boilermakers, who won the last meeting between the two schools, 5-2, in 2005.
The Commodores have been very strong at the bottom of their singles lineup, where they are 14-2 in the Nos. 4, 5, and 6 positions in dual play. Leading the way for VU has been Alex Zotov, who is 6-0 in dual play and 15-2 overall. Also owning an undefeated mark in singles is Adam Baker, who is 4-0.
Admission is free to both matches this weekend.