NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 40 Vanderbilt bounced back after falling to No. 47 Harvard last Sunday to defeat the 31st-ranked Memphis Tigers, 4-2, and the Lipscomb Bison, 4-0, Friday afternoon at the Currey Tennis Center.
With the two wins on the day, Vanderbilt is now 7-3 on the season. The loss for Memphis (3-3) snapped a two-match win streak, while Lipscomb dropped to 1-3 with the loss.
Vanderbilt opened the match with Memphis by taking the doubles point. The Commodores won at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions, led by Ryan Lipman and Marc van der Merwe at the No. 1 spot. The duo defeated Connor Glennon and Cedric De Zutter in dominating fashion, 8-2. Jeff Offerdahl and Rhys Johnson then clinched the point with a win over David O’Leary and Johnny Grimal, 8-5.
The Tigers would take a 2-1 lead with wins in No. 2 and No. 3 singles. (Connor) Glennon recorded a win over (Jeff) Offerdahl, while Lukas Vrnak defeated (Rhys) Johnson, 6-3, 6-3.
However, the lead would be short-lived, as (Marc) van der Merwe and Kris Yee posted back-to-back wins. Yee delivered his eighth-consecutive singles victory with a win over (Johnny) Grimal, 6-3, 6-3. Shortly after Yee’s victory, van der Merwe defeated David O’Hare in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. The win makes van der Merwe 8-2 this spring.
Looking to clinch the victory, Vanderbilt turned to its leader, Lipman, to get the job done. The redshirt junior came through with a hard-fought straight set win over No. 73 Joe Salisbury, 7-5, 7-6(10-8). Lipman has won his last seven singles matches and is 8-1 this spring.
Like the match versus Memphis earlier in the day, Vanderbilt jumped out to an early lead over Lipscomb by winning the doubles point. Again it was the team of Lipman and van der Merwe in the No. 1 spot and Offerdahl and Johnson in the No. 3 spot to record victories.
Lipman and van der Merwe had to fend off the pesky duo from Lipscomb (Oliver Strecker and David Salazar) 8-6. Offerdahl and Johnson cruised to an easy win, 8-2, over Tanner Brown and Colby Shaw.
Lipman then won his second match of the day in No. 1 singles. He defeated Strecker in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. In No. 3 singles, van der Merwe defeated Daniel Hernandez, 6-2, 6-2. Yee sealed the win over Lipscomb with his victory over (Colby) Shaw, 6-2, 6-1.
Vanderbilt is back home for a doubleheader versus Indiana and Belmont Sunday, Feb. 24 at the Currey Tennis Center. The Commodores will play Indiana at 12 p.m., followed by a match versus Belmont.
VU-Memphis Singles Results
1. No. 22 Ryan Lipman (Vanderbilt) def. No. 73 Joe Salisbury (Memphis) 7-5, 7-6(10-8)
2. Connor Glennon (Memphis) def. Jeff Offerdahl (Vanderbilt) 6-1, 6-1
3. Lukas Vrnak (Memphis) def. Rhys Johnson (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-3
4. Marc van der Merwe (Vanderbilt) def. David O’Hare (Memphis) 6-4, 6-4
5. Kris Yee (Vanderbilt) def. Johnny Grimal (Memphis) 6-3, 6-3
6. Anton Kovrigin (Vanderbilt) vs. David O’Leary (Memphis) 7-6(7-3), unfinished
VU-Memphis Doubles Results
1. Lipman/van der Merwe (Vanderbilt) def. Glennon/De Zutter (Memphis) 8-2
2. Eswaran/Kovrigin (Vanderbilt) vs. O’Hare/Salisbury (Memphis) 6-7
3. Offerdahl/Johnson (Vanderbilt) def. O’Leary/Grimal (Memphis) 8-5
Order of Finish
Singles: 2,3,5,4,1
Doubles: 1,3
VU-Lipscomb Singles Results
1. No. 22 Ryan Lipman (Vanderbilt) def. Oliver Strecker (Lipscomb) 6-2, 6-1
2. Jeff Offerdahl (Vanderbilt) vs. David Salazar (Lipscomb) 1-6, 6-2, 0-1, unfinished
3. Marc van der Merwe (Vanderbilt) def. Daniel Hernandez (Lipscomb) 6-2, 6-2
4. Rhys Johnson (Vanderbilt) vs. Stuart Tierney (Lipscomb) 6-4, 1-6, 1-0, unfinished
5. Kris Yee (Vanderbilt) def. Colby Shaw (Lipscomb) 6-2, 6-1
6. Anton Kovrigin (Vanderbilt) vs. Miguel Cortez (Lipscomb) 0-0, unfinished
VU-Lipscomb Doubles Results
1. Lipman/van der Merwe (Vanderbilt) def. Strecker/Salazar (Lipscomb) 8-6
2. Eswaran/Kovrigin (Vanderbilt) vs. Cortez/Tierney (Lipscomb) 6-6
3. Offerdahl/Johnson (Vanderbilt) def. Brown/Shaw (Lipscomb) 8-2
Order of Finish:
Singles: 1,3,5
Doubles: 3,1
