May 7, 2015
NCAA Tournament Bracket 
Tournament Central
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With the quarterfinal exit from the SEC Tournament still looming in the back of their minds, the second-seeded Commodores look to make waves this weekend as the squad competes in its 14th NCAA tournament hosted by the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio.
Like most sports, tennis is all about the fundamentals. Head coach Ian Duvenhage has stressed many a time that you can always improve upon the basics of tennis. Just as football coaches run drills for blocking and tackling every day, the Commodores do the same, examining and improving on their mighty serves and key returns.
“It’s about fundamentals”, said Duvenhage, “so we come out and work on the same stuff every single day. You can always get better at executing the fundamentals.”
And Duvenhage’s 24th-ranked Commodores did just that in preparation for first round action against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which is set to begin this Friday at 9:00 am CT.
Both schools have met three times, with Notre Dame leading the series 2-1. The last time these teams met was in during the first round action of the 2012 NCAA tournament, which coincidentally was also played in Columbus, Ohio.
“We have our work cut out for us tomorrow against Notre Dame. They are a good team and they’re very well coached. Our team knows we will have to play an inspired match to move on.”
Leading up to Tuesday afternoon’s departure to the Buckeye State, the Commodores were hitting the courts hard in Nashville with hopes of improving all-around, in particular their doubles play, which hasn’t been as fruitful as the team would hope.
But while improvements can always be made the Commodores are a strong team, a team which amassed the best SEC record (8-4) in Duvenhage’s 10 seasons at the helm. VU has won the last six of its eight competition, and only allowed one team to defeat them at home.
Vanderbilt also brings stiff competition to the table at No. 1 doubles as fifth ranked Rhys Johnson and Gonzales Austin continue postseason play with a 16-4 record. SEC Player of the Year, No. 10 Austin, also adds strength to the VU lineup as he has shown consistency the entire year on court one with a 20-2 record. No. 88 Daniel Valent has also added support at the No. 3 spot with only three losses, second team All-SEC honors and All-Freshman team honors to his name.
Scouting the Irish:
This is Notre Dame’s 12th NCAA appearance, falling last season to Virginia in the Sweet 16. Much like the Commodores, the Irish (14-11) bring serious competition to the table at No. 1 doubles with the 15th-ranked tandem of Billy Pecor and Alex Lawson heading into tournament play with an 11-4 record at No. 1. Joining Vandy’s Austin in the ITA Top 10 is Notre Dame’s Quentin Monaghan who owns a 20-3 record and first team All-ACC accolades.
Regional Schedule:
Friday, May 8 — Round One
9:00 am CT — No. 24 Vanderbilt (19-7) vs. No. 35 Notre Dame (14-11)
12:00 pm CT — No. 11 Ohio State (25-8) vs. Buffalo (12-10)
Saturday, May 9 — Round Two
11:00 am CT –Match 1 Winner vs. Match 2 Winner