Men’s Tennis

Nearly four hours after the marathon match began, Northwestern emerged with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Vanderbilt in its season opener Sunday.

The No. 13 Wildcats (1-0) entered Nashville as the favorites on paper, but the unranked Commodores (0-1) put up a strong fight, taking NU down to the wire. After hours of contested action, sophomore Ben Vandixhorn delivered the clinching point in the team’s win with a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory.

“I was hoping (Vandixhorn) wouldn’t lose since that would suck on the car ride back,” senior Strong Kirchheimer said. “I was a nervous wreck, but he came through for us today.”

The Cats began their season with high expectations, but past games against Vanderbilt have frequently proved difficult. The match marked the team’s third-straight meeting in which NU won 4-3.

The victory could be crucial for the team’s confidence as it looks to replicate last season’s hot 14-1 start.

“It was really nice to get off to a good start as a team,” Vandixhorn said. “It sets the tone for the rest of the season.”

There were numerous new faces in the starting lineup, most notably freshman Dominik Starý who lost at No. 2 doubles with Kirchheimer before recording a decisive 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles. Freshman Chris Ephron and sophomore Michael Lorenzini teamed up for a 6-3 win at No. 3 doubles but did not play singles. Meanwhile, sophomore Jason Seidman lost a three-set match at No. 5 singles after occupying a reserve role last year.

The lineup saw slight change elsewhere, with a rejiggering of the top of the order. No. 26 Kirchheimer — fresh off a regional title in the fall — jumped to the No. 1 singles spot after playing the bulk of his matches at No. 3 last season. The change bumped seniors Konrad Zieba and Sam Shropshire down a slot to No. 2 and 3 singles, respectively.

NU began the match by winning the doubles point, and wins by Starý and Kirchheimer put the team on the cusp of victory with a 3-1 lead. But the Cats nearly squandered the lead when Zieba and Shropshire both fell in close three-set matches.

With all eyes on him, Vandixhorn clinched the victory by winning four straight games after trailing 2-3 at the start of the third set. The pressure was familiar, though, for a sophomore who twice last year played a deciding third set with the match on the line with split results.

Against Vanderbilt, coach Arvid Swan had faith the sophomore would pull through.

“(I told Vandixhorn) just to be confident and execute your gameplan under pressure and to play with enthusiasm,” Swan said. “It was a great opponent for him and in a three-all match to have an opportunity to clinch it, he did really well under pressure.”

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @benjyapelbaum