March 1, 2012
The Vanderbilt Commodores take to the road to start their SEC slate, traveling to No. 47 Arkansas to open conference play on Friday before heading to No. 17 LSU for a Sunday match.
“I think we have a chance to win both matches,” said head coach Ian Duvenhage, “but we need to be firing on all cylinders.”
The Dores have lost a number of close matches in non-conference pairings this spring as the young team gains experience at the college level for the first time. A few match points in the other direction, and Vanderbilt’s record could very well be 8-2.
The six freshmen have matured on the courts an incredible amount since they arrived in August. Gonzales Austin, a mainstay in the No. 1 position in doubles and the No. 2 position in singles, seeks his sixth straight singles win this weekend.
Charlie Jones and Jeff Offerdahl lead the team in wins this spring, with both going 8-2 with six-match streaks to their names. Michigan’s Evan King, the No. 8 player in the ITA’s rankings, snapped Jones’ streak this past weekend in a close 4-3 loss to the Wolverines. He looks to come back out this weekend for his ninth win of the spring.
Arkansas will present the Commodores with a test, particularly for the younger members, due in large part to the atmosphere and the crowd, said Duvenhage.
Vanderbilt turns around and heads to Baton Rouge for their Sunday match against the Tigers, which includes the No. 66 player Olivier Borsos and two ranked doubles-pairs.
Both matches will take place at 1:00 p.m.
Rankings:
#48 Vanderbilt, 5-5
#47 Arkansas, 8-2
#17 LSU, 6-2
Individuals
#62 Charlie Jones (VU)
#66 Olivier Borsos (LSU)
Doubles
#38 Olivier Borsos-Chris Simpson (LSU)
#39 James Turbervill-Neal Skupski (LSU)
#40 Gonzales Austin-Alex DiValerio (VU)