Alabama
Vanderbilt University
Alabama Men’s Tennis Continues SEC Play With Pair of Road Matches Against Vanderbilt and Kentucky
4/6/2017 10:55:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide travels to Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, April 7, to face Vanderbilt at 4 p.m. CT and Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, April 9, to take on Kentucky at Noon CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's tennis team will continue Southeastern Conference play this weekend with a pair of road matches. The Crimson Tide (9-14, 1-8 SEC) travels to Nashville, Tenn., on Friday, April 7, to take on the 47th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores at 4 p.m. CT, before traveling to Lexington, Ky., on Sunday, April 9, to face No. 23 Kentucky at Noon CT.
Last Time Out:
The Tide went 1-2 last weekend. Alabama lost to the Florida Gators in a 4-0 decision on Friday night. On Sunday, Alabama lost to South Carolina, 4-3, before going on to shut out Jackson State, 4-0, later that evening.
Alabama Notes:
Alabama had two singles players and one doubles pair earn national rankings this week announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Tuesday.
The Tide has collected 46 wins in singles play since beginning the dual match season, and it has registered 26 victories in doubles play.
Sophomore anchor Mazen Osama moved up four spots to earn a No. 31 national ranking in singles play, marking his sixth week in the rankings since beginning the dual match season. Osama has a 10-7 record in singles play since starting the spring season, and he has registered eight wins over nationally-ranked opponents this year. Last weekend, Osama defeated South Carolina's No. 59-ranked singles player Gabriel Friedrich in straight sets, 7-6, 6-0.
Freshman Thibault Cancel earned a No. 117 national ranking in singles after collecting nine wins in the dual match season. Cancel has been nationally ranked five times since the start of the spring season, and he has registered four wins over nationally-ranked singles opponents.
Osama and sophomore Spencer Richey jumped two spots to achieve a No. 38 national ranking in doubles play after collecting nine wins since the start of the spring season, with all matches coming from the top court.
Vanderbilt:
The Commodores enter Friday's match with a 10-12 overall record including a 1-8 mark in league play. Vanderbilt lost a 4-3 decision to Kentucky in its lone contest last weekend. The Commodores have two doubles teams and one singles player that are nationally-ranked. Cameron Klinger and Pen Binet teamed up to achieve the No. 22 doubles spot, while Lachlan McPhee and Billy Rowe partnered up to earn a No. 59 ranking. Klinger is also ranked No. 30 in singles action.
Kentucky:
The Wildcats enter Sunday's contest with a 13-8 overall record including a 3-1 mark in conference play. Sunday's match against Alabama marks the only match of the weekend for Kentucky. Last weekend, the Wildcats outlasted Vanderbilt, 4-3, before going on to top Florida in a 4-1 decision.
Kentucky has two singles players and two doubles teams that are nationally-ranked. Beck Pennington and Enzo Wallart teamed up to earn the No. 32 spot in doubles, while William Bushamuka and Beck Pennington partnered up to achieve a No. 84 ranking. Bushamuka and Ryotaro Matsumura are ranked No. 16 and No. 38 in singles, respectively.
Series History:
When Alabama and Vanderbilt face each other on Friday it will mark the 62nd time the two programs have met on the court, dating back to the 1951 season. The Tide holds a 38-23 advantage in the series. Last year, Vanderbilt defeated Alabama in a 4-2 decision. The last time the Tide topped the Commodores was during the 2014 season, when Alabama claimed a 4-1 decision over Vanderbilt.
Sunday's contest between Alabama and Kentucky marks the 48th time the two schools have met, dating back to the 1960 season. The Tide holds a 24-22-1 advantage in the series. Last year, the Wildcats outlasted the Tide in a 4-3 decision. The last time Alabama defeated Kentucky was during the 2014 season, when the Tide topped the Wildcats in a 4-2 result.
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