Vanderbilt Athletics Has Magical Weekend: The Anchor

Vanderbilt athletics had a great weekend.

The main course of the program’s athletics events over the weekend was Vanderbilt football. Vanderbilt beat Kentucky 45-17 over the weekend in what was a dominating performance all-around.

The Commodores scored 21 points in the second quarter to put away the Wildcats and tacked on more in the second half. But the story of the night and the weekend was Diego Pavia. Pavia put up 484 passing yards and five passing touchdowns, setting the school record for most passing yards in a single game.

Pavia’s performance was a masterclass and Heisman-like. With his performance, Pavia gave his case as to why he should not only be a Heisman finalist, but the Heisman winner. Defensively, Vanderbilt was much improved from its previous two games.

The Commodores allowed just 81 total yards of offense in the first half and three points through the first three quarters. The win gave Vanderbilt nine wins in the regular season for the first time since 1915.

In Vanderbilt swimming, Vanderbilt finished in 10th place at the Phil Hansel Invitational to close its fall season. Melissa Cowen and Aubrey Hull led the way for Vanderbilt. The Commodores will return to action for the spring season Jan. 16 against Kentucky and Texas A&M.

In Vanderbilt women’s basketball, the Commodores came away with two wins over mid-major teams. On Friday, Vanderbilt took down Alabama State 92-38. Vanderbilt jumped out to a 24-9 start in the first quarter and never looked back. It built the lead even higher in the third quarter, outsourcing the Hornets 27-6 in the frame.

It was an all-around solid performance as five different Commodores scored 10 or more points. Aga Makurat led the way with 21 points and Mikayla Blakes finished with 19 points.

On Sunday, Vanderbilt got off to a 6-0 start on the season, cruising to a 99-43 win over Tennessee State. The game was noncompetitive from the start as Vanderbilt got out to an early 31-6 lead and kept its foot on the gas throughout the four quarters. It was the 23rd consecutive nonconference home victory.

The story of the game Sunday was Aubrey Galvan. The freshman point guard put up 15 assists and nine rebounds in the game. Her assists matched the program record for most assists in a game by a freshman.

Up next, Vanderbilt women’s basketball goes to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam, where it will play two games against Oregon State and then BYU or Virginia Tech. Vanderbilt takes on Oregon State on Thanksgiving Day at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

Vanderbilt bowling also had a good weekend, finishing in second place at the Colonial Lanes Classic, an event hosted by Tulane University. In the semifinals, Vanderbilt swept No. 2 Nebraska in four games to move onto the championship round.

In the championship round, Vanderbilt faced off against No. 6 Arkansas State. The Commodores won the first game 212-163, but in the second game Vanderbilt lost 199-198. After that, Arkansas State took control and won the final two games to win the tournament.

With the second-place finish, Vanderbilt bowling’s fall season came to an end. It will be back in action in 2026 when it plays in the Sacred Heart Northeast Classic on Jan. 16.

In women’s tennis, Vanderbilt duo Célia-Belle Mohr and Sophia Webster had a great run in the NCAA Doubles Championships. In the quarterfinals, the duo took down Virginia in two sets 6-0 and 6-4. In the semifinals on Saturday, the No. 12 duo Roisin Gilheany and Gloriana Nahum of Oklahoma. Vanderbilt took the first set over the Sooners 6-3. In the second set, both duos responded with runs of their own.

Vanderbilt began the second set up 3-0, but Oklahoma responded with two consecutive points to make it 3-2. But Mohr and Webster rallied together and came up with three more consecutive points to win the set and the match 6-2. The win put Vanderbilt in the Doubles National Championship Sunday against NC State.

The first set was deadlocked at 4-4 before moving to a 6-5 lead for NC State. Vanderbilt tried to tie up the set, but was unable to as the Wolfpack grabbed the first set. In the second set, Mohr and Webster got out to a 4-2 lead, but NC State was able to pull off four consecutive points to win the set from behind and get the Doubles National Championship, leaving the Vanderbilt duo as the runner-up.

Today’s Commodores Schedule

No. 1-seed Vanderbilt soccer vs. No. 4-seed LSU, Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament, 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

This Weekend’s Commodores Results Today

Vanderbilt swimming finished 10th place at the Phil Hansel Invitational.

Vanderbilt women’s basketball beat Alabama State 92-38.

Vanderbilt volleyball beat No. 10-seed Mississippi State 3-0.

Vanderbilt bowling finished 2nd place at the Colonial Lanes Classic

Vanderbilt football beat Kentucky 45-17.

Vanderbilt women’s tennis: Célia-Belle Mohr and Sophia Webster lost to NC State (4-6, 5-7).

Vanderbilt volleyball beat No. 7-seed Georgia 3-1.

Vanderbilt women’s basketball beat Tennessee State 99-43.

Vanderbilt volleyball lost to No. 2-seed Texas A&M 3-0.

Did You Notice?

Vanderbilt volleyball went on an incredible run at the SEC Tournament over the weekend that eventually fell short.. It all started Friday evening as the No. 15-seed Commodores rematched against No. 10-seed Mississippi State. Vanderbilt beat the Bulldogs for a second consecutive time, sweeping them in three sets and getting a 3-0 match win.

On Saturday, Vanderbilt faced No. 7-seed Georgia. Vanderbilt got control of the match early, winning each of the first two sets of the game 25-20. Georgia did fight back, taking the third set 25-21. But the Commodores made sure not to give Georgia any more life by winning the fourth and set of the match 25-18 and winning the match 25-18. The win marked the first time all season that Vanderbilt won consecutive games against SEC opponents.

On Sunday, however, Vanderbilt ran into No. 2-seed Texas A&M. Texas A&M won the first two sets 25-21 to go up 2-0 in the match. In the third set, Vanderbilt fought tooth and nail with Texas A&M, but came up short, losing the set 27-25 and the match 3-0.

Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2026 Baseball Season Opener

83 days

Commodores Quote of The Day

“They cram over 100,000 Volunteers fans into Neyland Stadium each home game, all of them wearing school colors which can only be described as ‘Road Worker Orange,’ no doubt an extension of a popular major among athletes at the school.”Anonymous

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