Regular Season Finale Sends Dores to Magnolia State

Ranked SEC foes Mississippi State and Ole Miss on deck this weekend

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team are on the road to close out the regular season in the Magnolia State.

The Commodores head to StarkVegas for a matchup against Mississippi State at 3 p.m. Friday before trekking to Oxford, Mississippi to face Ole Miss at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Vandy enters another challenging road test this weekend with a 14-9 record on the season and 2-8 in Southeastern Conference play. SEC Tournament seeding implications are at stake as the Bulldogs are in a three-way tie for eighth in the SEC standings and 13-10 overall, while the Rebels are tied at 11th with the Dores and hold a 14-11 overall record.

Cracked Racquets’ SEC Redzone

  • Both the SEC Network and Cracked Racquets have announced a partnership that allows more coverage of collegiate tennis within the conference.
  • The SEC Redzone broadcasts are set to run for Friday SEC and nonconference matchups throughout the regular season. This weekend’s slate is highlighted by Vandy’s visit to top 40 Mississippi State.
  • In conjunction with the live broadcasts of matches, Cracked Racquets will produce a weekly SEC focused show to highlight upcoming events and recap matches.

Harwell Hits Century Mark

Fifth-year senior George Harwell defeated Tennessee’s Adam Walton, who was No. 14 at the time, in straight sets, 7-6 (6), 6-2, on the top court. The win marked Harwell’s 100th singles win over his career.

Fellow senior Marcus Ferreira is closing in on his own century mark. Ferreira has 99 career wins and is one victory away from the 100 mark.

Debriefing – Home Finale

Vandy concluded its home finale last Sunday with Senior Day and Alumni weekend. The Dores nearly stunned in-state and SEC rival, No. 5 Tennessee, but ultimately fell 4-3. In the current SEC standings, the Volunteers sit in sixth with a 6-4 conference record and 18-6 overall.

A pair of Dores reached five ranked singles wins on the season last Sunday. Harwell, a Nashville, Tennessee native, reached 100 career singles wins after defeating Tennessee’s Adam Walton, 14th-ranked at the time, on the top court. On Court 2, junior Joubert Klopper took down Johannus Monday of Tennessee, who was ranked No. 5 nationally at the time.

A trio of seniors – Harwell, Max Freeman and Macsen Sisam – were honored in a ceremony prior to the match for their dedication and accomplishments both on and off the court through the years.

Vandy finished the season with a 11-5 home record and currently stand 14-9 on the season going into the last weekend of the regular season in the Magnolia State.

Scouting the Opponents

  • Mississippi State (13-10, 3-7 SEC): The last time the Dores won over the Bulldogs was in a 4-2 upset win in Starkville, Mississippi on April 15, 2016. The victory marked Vandy’s fourth top 25 win of the 2015-16 season. Since then, Mississippi State has been on a six-match winning streak against Vandy. The Bulldogs look to bounce-back after a two-match SEC losing streak – against in-state rival Ole Miss and in Fayetteville, Arkansas against the Razorbacks. Individually, two Bulldogs are ranked in the latest ITA singles rankings – No. 27 Florian Broska and No. 74 Nemanja Malesevic. In the doubles rankings, Broska and Gregor Ramskogler come in at No. 46 nationally.
  • Ole Miss (14-11, 2-8 SEC): The last time the Dores won over the Rebels was in their first SEC victory of the 2018-19 season on March 3, 2019, in a dominant 4-1 win in Oxford. Last season, Vandy fell to Ole Miss on Senior Day by taking a 4-3 decision to close out the 2021-22 regular season. Bouncing back from a loss to Texas A&m in their last SEC road match of the season, the Rebels earned a doubleheader sweep against Tennessee State in the Music City. In the latest ITA rankings, junior Nikola Slavic sits at No. 28, while doubles duo Lukas Engelhardt and Finn Reynolds are steady at No. 17.

Rise in ITA Rankings

  • In the current ITA team rankings, the Dores sit in the top 50 and currently hold a 14-9 record heading into a challenging road test against a pair of SEC West foes that are both ranked nationally in the top 40.
  • After a top 15 win against Tennessee’s Adam Walton last Sunday, Harwell, a fifth-year senior and No. 1 singles player, moves up to No. 31 in the latest ITA singles rankings.
  • Junior Siim Troost and freshman Michael Ross move up nine spots to 67th nationally, together the pair owns a 13-8 record on the top court.
  • Klopper jumped into the singles rankings this week with a career-best No. 88 after an upset win last Sunday over Johannus Monday of Tennessee, who was ranked fifth nationally at the time.

Klopper Earned SEC Honors

The junior was named SEC Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Feb. 16.

A native of Bloemfontein, South Africa, Klopper, was honored for his 7-0 dual record at the time, which included three wins during the doubleheader against ACC foe Virginia Tech and The Citadel on Feb. 13. Klopper clinched the match against the Hokies in a two-set thriller, 7-6 (2), 6-4, on Court 2. Later in the afternoon, Klopper moved up to the top singles spot to defeat his Bulldogs opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0.

Currently, he has a combined 42-16 record including 27-9 in singles and 15-7 in doubles. During the dual season, Klopper’s 22-11 record is highlighted by 7-4 in SEC play and 15-6 singles record.

For full press release, click here.

On the Radar: Postseason Begins at SEC Tournament

With the regular season coming to a close this weekend, the Black and Gold will head to the SEC Tournament in Athens, Georgia from April 20-24. Seeding for the SEC tournament bracket will be announced on Sunday. Vandy’s only SEC title in program history came in 2003 when it swept Florida 4-0 in Oxford.