The University of Mississippi Athletics
Vanderbilt Edges Indiana In Tight Match
5/10/2008 | Men's Tennis
OXFORD, Miss. -- Vanderbilt's Vijay Paul fought off match points in a third set tiebreaker agianst Indiana's Philip Eilers at No. 3 singles, to clinch a 4-3 win for the Commodores Saturday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. The Commodores will face Ole Miss Sunday at Noon, with the winner advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in Tulsa, Okla.
Paul won a first set tiebreaker 7-6(3), but then Eilers answered in the second set 6-4. The final set was as close as could be, with the two battling back and forth. Eilers had double match point at 6-3 in the breaker, but Paul rallied to win it 9-7, as his teammates mobbed him on the court.
Indiana (16-10) took the doubles point in exciting fashion, winning a tiebreaker, 9-8(7) at No.1 doubles, after being down 7-4. They won the No. 3 match 8-6 to set up the deciding match.
Vanderbilt took a 2-1 lead when Nik Cromydas downed IU's Dara McLoughlin 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 singles, followed by Bryant Salcedo's 6-4, 6-4 win over Commodore Lachlan Ferguson at No. 4.
The remaining matches all went three sets. Indiana won a third-set tiebreaker at No. 5 to even the match at 2-2. Then IU's Thomas Richter did the same at No.1 singles to give his team a 3-2 lead. Richter held off Ryan Preston, who gave a valiant effort despite getting sick throughout the match. Down 2-0 to start the third set, Preston would rally to get to a tiebreaker, before losing it 7-3.
Vanderbilt squared the match when James Moye came back to beat Hoosier Santiago Gruter, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 6, setting up the final outcome.
