Men’s tennis swept by Vanderbilt in Nashville to open season

The 2015 men’s tennis campaign for Georgia State commenced in inauspicious fashion as the Panthers were swept on the road by the No. 19 nationally-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, TN.

It was also the season opener for Vanderbilt, which finished 7-0 against Georgia State on Friday.

Singles

The only set victory for the Panthers came from freshman Andrei Andrukhou who was competing in his first match. After a 6-2 win for Andrukhou in his opening set against Vanderbilt’s Daniel Valent, the Commodores’ freshman claimed the following two frames, 6-2, 6-0 to pick up the victory over the freshman Panther.

Zack Kennedy, who went undefeated at the Georgia Southern invite in November, fell to Commodores junior Kris Yee, 6-1, 6-4. Sofianne Chevallier also went undefeated at the Georgia Southern invite, but lost in straight sets to Vanderbilt senior Suresh Eswaran, 6-1, 6-1.

The Panthers’ Sebastian Acuna played a hard-fought match against Commodores senior Ryan Smith, but would come up just short in a 7-5, 6-4, straight set defeat.

Georgia State’s Joseph Bishop also suffered a 6-2, 6-1 loss at the hands of junior Jeffrey Offerdahl.

Austin Gonzales of Vanderbilt also earned a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Panthers’ Jannis Koeke.

Doubles

The doubles competition was also all Vanderbilt. Valent and Gonzales defeated Kennedy and Chevallier 5-4 in the top double match of the day. Georgia State’s Bishop and Koeke also fell, 6-2 to Smith and Pen Binet of Vanderbilt. Andrukhou and Acuna would be defeated 6-4 by the Commodores’ Yee and Offerdahl.

The Panthers will attempt to earn better results on the hardcourt Jan. 24 as they face Presbyterian and Gardner-Webb the following day.