PEACHTREE CITY, Ga.— Vanderbilt fell to Liberty 4-1 in the NIT Championship finals Saturday.
With only four players available to field the courts for the championship match, the Dores forfeited one of three doubles matches as well as two of six singles matches.
Picking up a victory in doubles play on Court 2, Liberty clinched the doubles point. As a result of two Vanderbilt walkovers, Liberty also claimed singles victories on Courts 5 and 6, putting the dual match score at 3-0 in favor of the Flames going into singles play.
The Dores picked up a point with Michael Ross’ straight-set victory on Court 3. On Courts 1 and 2, Commodores Nathan Cox and Joubert Klopper each led their respective matches by a set; however, on Court 4, Macsen Sisam fell short to his Liberty opponent, who clinched the victory and tournament title for the Flames.
The Commodores defeated Reinhardt 4-0 for the NIT tournament quarterfinals Thursday followed by a 4-3 victory over UC Davis in Friday’s semifinal to secure their spot in Saturday’s NIT championship against Liberty. Saturday’s contest was the first-ever meeting between the Dores and the Flames.
Next week, Vandy doubles pair Siim Troost and Jeremie Casabon, will travel to Orlando, Florida, as an at-large selection in the NCAA Championships doubles competition. The tournament takes place Monday-Saturday. More information regarding the Dores’ draw and match time will be posted next week.