April 14, 2016
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vandy men’s tennis closes our its regular season on the road this weekend, first taking on No. 23 Mississippi State Friday at 5:00 pm followed by a Sunday showdown against the 34th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at 1:00 pm CT.
Ranked No. 45 in the country, the Commodores 13-12 (4-6) come off two hard 5-2 losses at home to Arkansas and Ole Miss. Vanderbilt took the doubles point over the Razorbacks, but fell on all singles courts but No. 3 as Rhys Johnson came out on top of a three-setter.
Ole Miss earned the doubles point advantage, and took all singles courts but two and four. Cameron Klinger earned a ranked win over No. 58 Lindmark and Baker Newman took a three-setter over Hamilton at No. 4.
In the latest Oracle/ITA rankings, Johnson and Klinger come in at No. 15 in the nation in tandems. Individually, Daniel Valent ranks 40th, with Klinger following at No. 97.
Scouting the Bulldogs:
MSU fields a young, but powerful lineup, as 45 of the 65 dual-match wins in singles play has come from freshmen. Mississippi State has three ranked singles players, Cutura (33), Agarwal (64), and Borges (105). In doubles, Cutura and Hunter team up as the 43rd ranked team in the nation. The Commodores have had success against the Bulldogs of late however, winning two out of the last three in the series.
Scouting the Crimson Tide:
Alabama enters the weekend with a 14-11 (5-6) record, having fallen in their last match to MSU, 5-2. Bama was two ranked singles player, with Mazen Osama leading the squad at No. 50. Korey Lovett follows the freshman, coming in at No. 98. In their last meeting, the Commodores took the win over the Tide, 4-1.