NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team heads west to face Pepperdine on Sunday in the fourth matchup between the two schools.
Each program will be searching for a much-needed win; the Dores have suffered three straight defeats while the Waves are 2-3 in their last five matches. Vanderbilt is just 2-5 on the road thus far. Pepperdine has already seen its fair share of SEC teams, defeating No. 9 Texas A&M and LSU while dropping a 4-1 result to No. 9 Mississippi State.
Vanderbilt remains strong in doubles play. The Dores have captured the opening point in 10 of 14 matches, and senior Michael Ross along with junior Nathan Cox climbed from No. 87 to No. 28 in the most recent ITA doubles rankings. Fifth year Henry Ruger continues to be the spark for Vandy in singles. The Columbia transfer brings a three-match win streak into Malibu, including a 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 1-0 (10-1) thriller against South Carolina. He is 6-2 at the No. 5 slot for the Dores.
Pepperdine enters Sunday’s contest a week removed from being ranked inside the top-25 ITA team rankings. The Waves have two players ranked in singles; Maxi Homberg is the highest at No. 47. Homberg, partnered with Linus Carlsson Halldin, make up the No. 72-ranked duo. Pepperdine is 2-1 in the all-time series against Vanderbilt, defeating the Dores 4-3 in Nashville last season.
No. 39 Vanderbilt (8-6, 1-4 SEC) looks to bounce back against No. 28 Pepperdine (7-5, 1-0 WCC) on Sunday at 1 p.m. Live streaming and live stats will be available online. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
