April 13, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 40th-ranked Vanderbilt men’s tennis team caps regular season play this weekend with 1 p.m. road contests against No. 32 Ole Miss on Friday and No. 50 Arkansas on Sunday.
Last time out, the Dores knocked off Alabama in a close 4-3 contest Friday night for the last home match of the season. VU rebounded after dropping the doubles point, taking courts two, five, three and one.
Daniel Valent clinched the Commodores’ victory in a three-set thriller. The junior earned his second-consecutive ranked win with a 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 win over No. 31 Mazan Osama. Baker Newman also picked up his second ranked win in as many weeks, downing No. 117 Thibault Cancel 6-1, 6-3.
Valent surged back into ITA singles rankings this past week, coming in at No. 58 in the country. An injured Cameron Klinger sits at No. 30. In doubles, Lachlan McPhee and Billy Rowe improved to No. 44, while Klinger and Pen Binet are 16th in the nation.
Scouting Ole Miss:
No. 32 Ole Miss boasts a 13-8 (4-6) record heading into the tail end of conference play. Looking to ensure their .500 mark for the NCAA tournament, Ole Miss was busy last week. The Rebels defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff twice in back-to-back matches before defeating Arkansas 4-3. On Sunday, the squad played another doubleheader sweeping Alcorn State twice.
In the latest ITA standings, Mississippi has one ITA top-25 singles player and doubles pairing. Gustaav Hanson leads his team at No. 25 in the country. The junior All-American owns a 10-7 dual match record with a 7-10 record against fellow ranked opponents. Playing predominantly on court two, No. 25 Fabian Fallert and Grey Hamilton have won 10 of their last 11 completed matches.
Last season, the Rebels downed the Commodores 5-2. VU’s two points came in singles play from Klinger and Newman on courts two and four.
Scouting Arkansas:
Prior to hosting the Dores in the regular season finale, Arkansas takes on No. 24 Kentucky. The Razorbacks own a 13-11 (4-6) record, dropping both of their competitions last weekend against No. 7 Texas A&M and Ole Miss.
Mike Redlicki and Jose Salazar represent the Hogs in the latest rankings, at No. 11 and No. 29, respectively. In tandems, the two student-athletes pair up as the seventh-ranked duo in the nation.
Arkansas took the last meeting against Vandy, 5-2. The Commodores’ two points came from a hard fought doubles point and a singles victory on court three by Rhys Johnson.