Men's Tennis Clinches No. 2 Seed for SEC Tourney; Defeats South Carolina, 5-1 4/13/03
Commodores to take on South Carolina/Georgia Winner in Quarterfinals

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The eighth-ranked Vanderbilt men's tennis team capped off its magical Southeastern Conference regular-season run on Sunday afternoon, as the Commodores defeated 13th-ranked South Carolina, 5-1, at the Sam Daniel Tennis Center. With the win, the Commodores conclude the regular season with a 19-3 overall record and a 9-2 mark in the SEC, while the Gamecocks fall to 17-6 overall and 5-6 in the conference.

The Commodores will now set their sights on next weekend's SEC Tournament at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center in Oxford, Miss. Vanderbilt solidified the No. 2 seed for the tournament, and will take on the winner of the South Carolina/Georgia match-up at 5 p.m. (CST) Friday.

One of the big individual stories of the afternoon was Vanderbilt junior Bobby Reynolds. The Acworth, Ga. native was only player in the SEC at the No. 1 position to go undefeated during the regular season. The second-ranked Reynolds defeated 47th-ranked Seth Rose in three sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. With the win, he finishes the SEC regular season with a 11-0 dual-match record. For the 2002-03 season, he has compiled a 38-6 overall record and a 19-1 dual-match mark.

The Commodores got things going by winning their ninth doubles point in 11 SEC matches. Reynolds and sophomore Scott Brown continued their outstanding play, as they defeated Tom Eklund and Angelo Niculescu, 8-4, at the No. 1 position. Vanderbilt's top duo is now 5-0 since joining forces back on April 4 against Auburn. Juniors Zach Dailey and Lewie Smith clinched the point for the 'Dores, as they defeated Marcus Westman and Geraldo Knorr, 8-6, at the third doubles position. Dailey and Smith are also 5-0 since the Auburn match. Junior Chad Harris and sophomore Matt Lockin's match with Rose and Carl Wermee was stopped at 6-6 because the Commodores had already clinched the point.

The 15th-ranked Harris notched his 30th win of the year, as he defeated 56th-ranked Niculescu in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Harris has now 14 of his last 17 dual matches, and is 15-4 in dual competition.

Dailey continued to be one of the driving forces behind the Commodores' singles' lineup. Dailey picked up a straight-set win over Carl Wermee at the No. 4 position, 6-4, 6-0. The Memphis, Tenn. native has now won seven-straight matches and is 17-3 during the dual-match season.

The final singles' point for Vanderbilt came at the No. 6 position, as Smith also scored a straight-set win over Ben Atkinson, 6-3, 6-4. Dailey's fellow Memphis native is now 21-8 for the year and 15-4 in dual matches.

SEC Men's Tournament
April 17-20 • Oxford, Miss. • Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center

1. Florida
2. Vanderbilt
3. Mississippi
4. Kentucky
5. Louisiana State
6. Auburn
7. South Carolina
8. Mississippi State
9. Alabama
10. Georgia
11. Tennessee
12. Arkansas

First-Round Match (Played on April 17)

No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Alabama (Winner to take on Florida)
No. 5 Louisiana State vs. No. 12 Arkansas (Winner to take on Kentucky)
No. 7 South Carolina vs. No. 10 Georgia (Winner to take on Vanderbilt)
No. 6 Auburn vs. No. 11 Tennessee (Winner to take on Mississippi)

Singles

Doubles