No. 14 Vanderbilt Downs No. 41 Bulldog Netmen 5-2
Vanderbilt took the early lead in the match by posting doubles victories at the top two positions. VU's seventh-ranked duo of Scott Brown and Chad Harris was first off the court with an 8-1 victory over Bulldogs Rene-Charles Combette and Florent Girod at No. 2. After State's team of Max Fomine and Michael Hailey evened things with an 8-5 win at No. 3, Vandy's 43rd-ranked tandem of Bobby Reynolds and Lewis Smith held off MSU's Romain Ambert and Jerome Le Belicard 8-6 at the top spot for the first point of the day.
In singles, Vanderbilt took control early, claiming the first set in five of the six matches. The 'Dores would ride those leads on to victory. VU would actually win the first four singles matches completed before State claimed the final two.
First off the court was 72nd-ranked Matt Lockin, who bested State's Le Belicard 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 3 position. Producing a 3-0 lead was Reynolds, ranked second nationally, who downed State's 60th-ranked Ambert 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1. The win was Reynolds' first in five career meetings with Ambert, but extended his current personal win streak to 21 matches.
After those two matches had finished, State appeared as though it might stage a rally, splitting sets at the No. 4 and 6 positions and forcing a tiebreaker at No. 2 in the second. MSU had also won the first frame at No. 5. But Vandy would hold off the comeback effort.
Clinching the team win for the Commodores would be Harris. Ranked 13th in the country, he staved off a second-set charge from State's Combette to win 6-1, 7-6(2) for his 10th victory in a row. Vandy gained its fifth point of the match when Smith outlasted Bulldog Luc Maasdorp 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 at the No. 6 spot.
State finally got on the board when the freshman Girod held on for a 7-6(1), 3-6, 1-0(7) victory over Zach Dailey at No. 5. The players played a super tiebreaker for the third set. The win broke an eight-match losing skid for Girod and marked his first career singles win in SEC play.
In the last match to finish, MSU's Fomine improved to 9-4 in singles dual match play this spring, edging Brown 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(3) at the No. 4 position.
"I know it's getting old to hear me say it, but I was again very proud of our team's effort today," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We played a solid match and gave our best effort against one of the best teams Vandy has had in years.
"Our guys are continuing to do the things we are asking them to do and continuing to fight no matter what the situation in a match. Even though the results aren't always showing it, we have positive things happening in every match we play. Now we have to continue to do those things and turn our focus to another difficult match with Kentucky."
The Bulldogs return to action Sunday, hosting 10th-ranked Kentucky. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
#14 VANDERBILT 5, #41 MISSISSIPPI STATE 2
DOUBLES -- #43 Bobby Reynolds/Lewis Smith (VU) def. Romain Ambert/Jerome Belicard (MSU) 8-6; #7 Scott Brown/Chad Harris (VU) def. Rene-Charles Combette/Florent Girod (MSU) 8-1; Max Fomine/Michael Hailey (MSU) def. Zach Dailey/Jens Pilgram-Larsen (VU) 8-5.
SINGLES -- #2 Reynolds (VU) def. #60 Ambert (MSU) 6-2, 6-3; #13 Harris (VU) def. Combette (MSU) 6-1, 7-6(2); #72 Matt Lockin (VU) def. Le Belicard (MSU) 6-4, 6-1; Fomine (MSU) def. Brown (VU) 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(3); Girod (MSU) def. Dailey (VU) 7-6(1), 3-6, 1-0(7); Smith (VU) def. Luc Maasdorp (MSU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1.
numbers preceding names indicate current national rankings