March 5, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 14 Commodores have a busy weekend ahead as they host the No. 11 Florida Gators Friday in their SEC home opener at 4 p.m. The `Dores conclude the weekend with doubleheader action on Sunday as the No. 35 Auburn Tigers come to town to play at 12:00 with Ball State following at 4:30 p.m.
Vandy comes into Friday’s match owning a 10-3 mark and 1-1 SEC slate after sweeping the Razorbacks last Friday, but falling to the Ole Miss Rebels on Sunday. The `Dores are excited to be back at home after playing four away matches in a row.
Head coach Ian Duvenhage was very satisfied with the Commodores doubles play last weekend as VU played consistent tennis throughout the lineup. Gonzales Austin and Rhys Johnson are the No. 1 team in the Nation, remaining undefeated all spring.
No. 9 Gonzales Austin now owns a 98-41 overall career record, just one win away from tying Bobby Reynolds’ record at 99 career individual wins. Austin, a senior from Miami, Fla. is also the highest ranked player in the SEC, with the next highest ranked SEC player coming in at No. 15.
Scouting the Gators:
Like the Commodores, the Gators travel to West End with a 1-1 record, dropping a 4-1 decision to then-No. 7 Georgia and picking up a 4-1 win over the No. 34-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks. Junior Diego Hidalgo leads UF with an undefeated 7-0 mark to the season with wins ranging in positions one through four of the lineup. The Gators have four ranked players: Diego Hidalgo (46), Elliott Orkin (90), Maxx Lipman (103) and Chase Perez-Blanco (123). The Gator squad also boasts one ranked doubles team in No. 47 Watson/Hidalgo.
Although victorious in dual season, during their last meeting the Commodores fell in a 4-2 decision in the SEC Tournament Semifinals. The Gators lead the series over the Commodores, 38-9-1. During dual season the Commodores defeated the Tigers in a close 4-3 victory. The two teams faced off once again during the conference tournament, with Vandy coming out victorious in a 4-0 sweep.
Tiger Talk:
Auburn comes off a hard 4-0 defeat by the Georgia Bulldogs, but opened conference play defeating South Carolina 4-2. AU has a trio of ranked players in top-ranked Lukas Ollert (37), Marko Krickovic (95) and Maxime Hinnisdaels (118).
Cardinal Close-up:
Ball State own a 5-5 record and coming to face the Commodores on a three-match win streak, winning its last two competitions in 7-0 sweeps. The Cardinals have only faced two ranked teams thus far this season, coming out with 7-0 losses in both. VU and Ball State faced each other during tournament season as the Cardinals came to Nashville for the Ohio Valley Regional. Last season the `Dores defeated the Cards in a 6-1 win in Nashville.
