April 25, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s postseason time for the 49th-ranked Vanderbilt men’s tennis team as the Dores take the short journey up to Knoxville for the 2017 Southeastern Conference Tournament.
Taking on the 13th-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. CT, the Dores look to go 2-0 against Bama after having beaten the Tide, 4-3, on April 7. Junior Danile Valent delivered the final blow for the Commodores in a battle on court one against No. 31 Mazan Osama, 5-7, 7-5, 7-5.
Plenty remains at stake for Vanderbilt, which hopes to improve on an 11-14 regular season and earn an NCAA tournament berth.
Heading into the SEC tournament, several Commodores have enjoyed breakout performances during the season. Junior Baker Newman has claimed victories in his last three matches, all against ranked SEC opponents; Kentucky’s Ryotaro Matsumura, Alabama’s Thibault Cancel and Arkansas’ Jose Salazar.
Vandy will field two ranked singles players and a ranked duo on Wednesday. Playing on courts one and two for the duration of the season, Valent sits at No. 54 in the nation. Newman follows, landing at No. 107 in the latest rankings. Lachlan McPhee and Billy Rowe own 9-9 record as a pairing, and hold the 47th spot in the doubles poll.
Surveying the Tide:
Alabama heads to Knoxville with an 11-16 overall record, going 2-10 in league play. The Crimson Tide went 2-1 during the final stretch of regular season play, defeating Kentucky, 4-3, and Jacksonville State, 5-0, while falling to Tennessee, 4-2.
The Dores look to face one ranked doubles team in No. 12 Mazen Osama and Spencer Richey. The duo is 12-7 with five wins and five losses against fellow ranked opponents.
Individually, Osama has moved up in the rankings since his loss to Valent, coming in at No. 27. Thiabult Cancel rounds out the rankings at No. 119.
For live updates and a behind-the-scenes look at the 2017 SEC Men’s Tennis Tournament, follow @SECMTennis on Twitter.