The Vanderbilt Men’s Tennis duo of Jeremie Casabon and Nathan Cox competed in the ITA National Fall Championship in San Diego, Calif., from Nov. 1-5. Among many other Homecoming Weekend festivities, Vanderbilt Men’s Tennis hosted an exhibition match against their alumni on Nov. 4, which the Black and Gold Club helped to organize.
The ITA meet comprised 32 doubles teams — only four from the SEC — and marked the conclusion of the men’s tennis team’s fall season. Casaban and Cox gained an automatic bid when they won the ITA Ohio Valley Regional doubles championship. They entered the event ranked No. 40 nationally.
On Day 1 of the event, the pair faced a Georgia Tech doubles team composed of Gabriele Brancatelli and Richard Biagiotti, where they collected a straight-set victory and their seventh straight win. On the second day of competition, Casaban and Cox faced the No. 2 ranked Michigan State duo of Oza Baris and Max Sheldon, where they fell in a heartbreaking super tiebreaker. After dropping the first set, the Commodores found their rhythm, winning two sets to force the super tiebreaker.
Ultimately, the Spartans prevailed with a 16-14 victory over the Commodores to advance in the tournament. Casabon and Cox ended the fall season with an 8-4 record and will look to improve upon their successes from the fall in the spring. Men’s Tennis: ITA Fall Championship and Homecoming Weekend
“It was great to see some faces I hadn’t seen in a while, including former teammates and alums from before my time. This is something we used to do when I played here at Vanderbilt,” head coach Scott Brown said. “The goal is to create one massive Vanderbilt Men’s Tennis family that goes beyond just Vanderbilt and Nashville and extends all the way around the world. We want to build it each year and find unique ways to honor certain generations.”
Match play will resume for the Commodores in mid-January when the 2024 season begins.
