NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Coming off a 7-0 shutout against Belmont, the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team is set to host Michigan State and Lipscomb in a doubleheader from the Lummis Family Tennis Center on Sunday.
The Spartans took down the Dores 5-2 in East Lansing last season. It was their second consecutive win in a series that is even at 3-3 entering Sunday. But despite back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State (0-4) has been held winless so far, most recently falling 7-0 to Tennessee. It was the third SEC opponent for the Spartans after a 5-2 loss to Kentucky and a 4-2 defeat to No. 14 South Carolina. Michigan State currently sits on a five match losing streak dating back to last season, tied for its longest skid since 2019, which is also the last time Vanderbilt (6-2) notched a win in the matchup.
Michigan State brings two of the top 25 singles players in the country: Matthew Forbes comes in at No. 9 and Ozan Baris is No. 18 in the most recent ITA rankings. Forbes squared off with sophomore Pablo Martinez Gomez at the NCAA Singles Championship in November, besting the Commodore 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in a back-and-forth battle. The lone doubles pairing in the rankings for the Spartans is Taym Alazmeh and Danial Rakhmatullayev at No. 21.
Vanderbilt follows the contest with a matchup against Lipscomb (4-1), who is off to its best start since 2020. The Commodores hold a 12-0 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams last met in 2024, resulting in a 7-0 win for the black and gold; eight of the 12 total matches have been shutouts in favor of Vandy. The Bison are represented in the ITA doubles rankings by No. 83 Facundo Perlov and Henrique Ushizima.
The Commodores and Spartans are set for first serve at noon, with the second match against Lipscomb expected to begin at 5:30 p.m. Streaming will be available online with live stats accessible via IonCourt. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
