NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s 30th-ranked men’s tennis team had its six-match home win streak to begin the season come to a halt on Friday as No. 15 Ole Miss upended the Commodores, 6-1, at the Currey Tennis Center.
With the temperature hovering around 50 degrees, both teams agreed to play the match outdoors, which was a first for the Commodores at home this season. The loss dropped Vanderbilt to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in the SEC, while Ole Miss moved to 9-1 overall and 1-0 in the league.
Vanderbilt opened the match by losing two of three doubles matches to fall behind 1-0 in the match. Ole Miss would go on to win three of the first four completed singles matches to clinch the match and give Vanderbilt an 0-1 record in league play for the sixth straight season.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Ian Duvenhage knows the team must have a short memory if it wants to right the ship Sunday at 1 p.m. when Mississippi State pays a visit to Nashville.
“We can’t sulk for too long, but I’m a little upset about this match,” Duvenhage said. “We will come out to practice tomorrow morning, and hopefully have a good practice and get ready for Mississippi State. This one is over and there are 10 more matches in the SEC to be played.”
By losing the doubles point, Vanderbilt fell to 0-4 when it fails to win in doubles. VU’s No. 3 duo of Vijay Paul and Alex DiValerio gave the Commodores an early edge in doubles with an 8-5 victory over Vazquez and Skogeng of Ole Miss.
However, Ole Miss’ duo of Chris and Marcel Thiemann knotted the doubles match with an 8-5 victory over Bryant Salcedo and Ryan Lipman. Salcedo and Lipman were down 6-2 and pulled within 7-5 before falling.
Clinching the doubles match for Ole Miss was the duo of Jonas Lutjen and Tucker Vorster, who edged Adam Baker and Alex Zotov, 8-6, in the No. 1 position. The score was tied at 4-4 before Ole Miss was able to break VU’s serve en route to winning the match. Baker and Zotov entered the match having won six straight matches.
Ole Miss was able to extend its lead to three, 3-0, by winning the first two singles matches before the Commodores got on the scoreboard.
Scoring the point for Vanderbilt was Vijay Paul, who rallied from one set down to defeat Ole Miss’ Jonas Lutjen, 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, in the No. 3 position. It was the second straight match he has lost the opening set only to come back and win.
The remaining three matches could have gone either way, but ended up going Ole Miss’.
Shortly after Vijay Paul’s victory to pull VU within two, Ole Miss was able to clinch the match when No. 103 Adrian Forberg Skogeng snapped Alex Zotov’s 14-match winning streak with a 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) victory in the No. 4 position. Zotov was 10-0 in dual play.
In the No. 1 position, Vanderbilt’s Ryan Lipman took a one set lead on No. 81 Marcel Thiemann before losing the second set and the 10-point tiebreaker, 5-7, 7-5 1-0 (10-7).
In the No. 6 position, Alex DiValerio appeared to be in cruise control through the first half of the match before Ole Miss’ Jamie Vazquez Catoira rallied for the win. DiValerio won the first set 6-1 and was up 5-3 in the second set before falling, 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.
Vanderbilt will host No. 40 Mississippi State at 1 p.m. Sunday.
