NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Commodores will host their last doubleheader of the season on Saturday, welcoming No. 26 Florida at 11 am and Butler at 3:30 pm.
Fight Against Florida
The Florida Gators come to Nashville after a 5-2 victory at Ole Miss on Thursday. The Gators hold a 7-7 record overall and sit 2-2 in SEC play. Last year’s competition between Vanderbilt and Florida saw the Commodores fall 6-1 to No. 1 Florida in Gainesville.
The Gator squad includes four nationally ranked singles players (No. 72 Will Grant, No. 79 Jonah Braswell, No. 103 Axel Nefve and No. 119 Nate Bonetto) and two nationally ranked doubles pairs (No. 18 Grant/Nefve and No. 19 Tanapatt Nirundorn/Togan Tokac).
The match will be a special one for head coach Ian Duvenhage who served on the Florida coaching staff from 1988 to 2001. During his 13 years as a Gator, Duvenhage coached four national champions and won SEC Coach of the Year three times (1993, 1994, 2000). As Duvenhage is set to retire at the end of this season, this matchup between the Commodores and Gators represents his combined 35 years of SEC coaching experience.
Battling Butler
For game two of the doubleheader, Vanderbilt will host Butler for only the third time in series history. Duvenhage will both open and close his career as a Commodore with schedules including the Butler Bulldogs—the first-ever matchup between the two squads was in 2006, Duvenhage’s first season at Vanderbilt. That contest saw Vandy notch a 6-1 victory. The only other time the Dores played the Bulldogs was in 2013 with Vanderbilt winning 7-0.
Home Match Notes
Saturday’s match will be at the Lummis Family Tennis Center, and admission is free. Parking will be available in the lots across the street from the track; a map for that can be found here. Vanderbilt tennis matches will enforce a clear bag policy.
Elliston Place Soda Shop will be at Saturday’s 11 a.m. match against Florida. The first $500 worth of food for fans will be covered by Vanderbilt’s tennis program. Alcohol will be available for purchase.
On Deck: The Commodores are back home next weekend, hosting Mississippi State on Friday at 4 p.m. and Ole Miss on Sunday at noon.