NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt men’s tennis closed out the weekend splitting its Sunday doubleheader at the Currey Tennis Center. The Commodores dropped a 4-1 decision to Southeastern Conference opponent Auburn before earning a dominant 6-1 win over Music City foe Tennessee State.
No. 29 Vanderbilt now stands 12-5 on the season and 1-4 in SEC play heading into a three-match week, featuring Big Ten and SEC foes.
Against Auburn
- Vandy sits at 1-4 in conference play after SEC West foe Auburn overpowered the Dores 4-1.
- The Tigers clinched the doubles point with wins on Court 1 and 3 Sunday afternoon.
- On the top court, junior Siim Troost and freshman Michael Ross, ranked 76th nationally, battled it out against Auburn’s Tad Maclean and Finn Murgett, but ultimately fell 6-4.
- The undefeated streak for senior Macsen Sisam and sophomore Jeremie Casabon came to an end as they fell in a hard-fought tiebreaker 7-6 (5) against Raul Dobai and Josh Raab of Auburn on Court 3.
- Senior Marcus Ferreira and junior Joubert Klopper teamed up on Court 2 where they trailed their Auburn opponents, 5-6, when their match was called.
- The Tigers got off to a fast start in singles play, capturing victories on Courts 4 and 3, which included Auburn’s Maclean, ranked 110th nationally, defeating fifth-year senior Max Freeman in a pair of 6-2 wins on Court 4.
- Fifth-year senior George Harwell, ranked 39th nationally, added Vandy’s first point of the match after a three-set thriller on the top court against No. 83 Tyler Stice of Auburn, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4. This marked Harwell’s first SEC singles victory this season.
- Auburn clinched the match with a win on Court 6. After dropping the first set in a tightly contested 6-4 bout, Troost came back strong in the second set 6-4 to force a decisive third set, where he ultimately fell short to Murgett of Auburn, 6-3.
- After dropping the first set on Court 2, Klopper came back to win the second set 6-2, forcing a determining third set where he trailed No. 124 Jan Galka, 2-5, before the match was called.
- Casabon gave the Dores momentum on Court 5 against his Tigers opponent after winning a first-set tiebreaker, 7-6 (5), and leading the second set 5-3, when the match was called.
Against Tennessee State
- Vandy extended its dual record to 12-5 behind a dominant 6-1 victory over Tennessee State Sunday evening. The Dores went undefeated (2-0) in the home-and-home series against Tennessee State this season.
- The team of Troost and Ross got the Dores off to a quick start after a 6-1 win over their Tennessee State opponents on the top court.
- Harwell and Freeman clinched their third doubles point on the season after a 6-1 victory on Court 2 against their Tennessee State opponents.
- Ferreira and Klopper led 3-2 on Court 3 when their match was ruled unfinished.
- Harwell went an undefeated 2-0 in singles play for the day to capture the first singles point for the Dores. On the top court, the Nashville native dominated the first set without dropping a single point, 6-0, before winning the second set, 6-1, over his Tigers opponent.
- Sisam is on a six-match winning streak after a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over his Tennessee State opponent on Court 5.
- Shortly after, Ferreira won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2, against his Tigers opponent on Court 3.
- On Court 4, Freeman ended a three-match losing streak after a 6-4, 6-2 win against his Tennessee State opponent.
- Klopper battled hard at the No. 2 singles spot for a pair of 6-3 set wins against his Tigers opponent.
- The Tigers closed out singles play to grab their only point of the match after a win on Court 6. After dropping the first set to Tennessee State’s Pierre Copin, Ross won the second set, 6-4, to force a decisive third set, where he ultimately fell 12-10.
What They’re Saying
Head Coach Ian Duvenhage on Vandy’s loss against Auburn
“I thought we started off in doubles so badly, and it’s been our Achilles’ heel. We start off very nervous … and in spite of giving them a 10-1 lead, we came back. We were down two breaks at No. 3 doubles, and we came back in and had a chance to win.”
“So, I loved the way the guys competed. With some small exception here or there, I really thought we did a good job in singles … and it looked like we could run the table if we just found a way through and it’s just a few points here or there. We just got to be a little more opportunistic and play a few big points better and we can pull a match like this out.”
“I thought our effort was great and for the most part, our competitiveness was great. It was a tough weekend for us, but we got to keep our heads up high and keep working. If we can get a little better, we’re going to win this match the next time we play it.”
Next Serve
Vandy is set to host its last three matches of the month this week, featuring Big Ten and SEC play. The week’s slate starts with a mid-week match against Big Ten foe Indiana at 2 p.m. Wednesday, concluding Vandy’s nonconference schedule. The match against the Hoosiers was originally scheduled as a neutral matchup in Auburn, Alabama, on Jan. 30. The Dores close out the weekend with SEC play against No. 13 Kentucky at 5 p.m. Friday and Alabama at noon Sunday, as part of alumni weekend.
Dores Fall Short to Tigers by Vanderbilt Athletics on on Exposure
