Vanderbilt Athletics Weekend Wrap-up: The Anchor

It was a busy, but a very successful weekend for Vanderbilt athletics.

The success all started Saturday afternoon with both Vanderbilt football and men’s basketball.

Vanderbilt football came away with a thrilling 45-38 win over Auburn in overtime Saturday evening. It was quite the game for both sides, and an unexpected game at that. Vanderbilt trailed 17-3 early on and 20-10 going into the locker room at halftime. But it was a change in offensive approach that sparked a comeback that was led by quarterback Diego Pavia. The Heisman Trophy candidate put up a season-high 377 passing yards and three touchdowns in addition to his 112 yards rushing and his rushing touchdown. 

The fast tempo offense that Vanderbilt went with in the second half ended up forcing overtime with a tied game at 38. In overtime, Pavia threw the game-winning touchdown to a wide open Cole Spence to move to 8-2 going into the team’s second bye week of the season.

On the hardwood, Vanderbilt men’s basketball got a big road win at UCF by a score of 105-93. The Commodores were on fire offensively all game as they shot 56 percent from the floor and hit 14 three-pointers in the game. 

Vanderbilt jumped out to a 27-point lead in the second half before UCF made things somewhat interesting with a big run down the stretch of the game. But ultimately, Vanderbilt held on for a double-digit win. Vanderbilt guard Duke Miles led all scorers with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting. The Commodores return home Wednesday for a matchup with Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. CT.

Vanderbilt soccer had perhaps an even better day Sunday evening. Vanderbilt played in the SEC Tournament Championship and took down No. 5-seed LSU 2-1 in a shootout thriller. LSU scored the first goal of the game in the 26th minute. LSU went into halftime with the lead, but Vanderbilt’s Vivian Akyirem tied the game at 1-1 in the 70th minute.

But little did both teams know at the time that it was going to be a long game. The game went through two hard-fought overtime periods that did not produce a winner. As a result, the game went into a shootout, where both teams went shot-for-shot in through nine rounds of shootout play. Entering the 10th round of the shootout, Vanderbilt and LSU were tied at 7-7. That was until the Commodores scored their eighth goal of the shootout in the 10th round. Then, it was LSU’s chance to tie the game.

In a game that felt like it went on forever, Vanderbilt’s goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko made her clutchest stop of the season as she made a championship-winning save. Vanderbilt soccer is clicking at the right time. Next up is the NCAA Tournament, which begins on Friday.

In Vanderbilt bowling, the No. 3 Commodores finished in third place in the Bulldog Classic over the weekend, an event hosted by Louisiana Tech. Vanderbilt won all three matches on Sunday to earn a top three finish at the tournament.

On the volleyball court, Vanderbilt volleyball was swept 3-0 by in-state rival Tennessee. Tennessee won the first set of the night 25-17. In the second set, Vanderbilt was more competitive, dropping the set 25-22. In the third and final set of the night, Vanderbilt could not muster up any run toward the end of the set as the Volunteers won the third set 25-20 and effectively the match as well. The loss marked Vanderbilt's eighth loss in the last nine matches. Up next, Vanderbilt heads to Alabama Friday.

In Vanderbilt women’s tennis, Sonya Macavei and Sophia Webster each finished the weekend 3-0 as both won their singles matches on Sunday. Webster defeated Kentucky’s Elena Molla in two sets (7-5, 6-2) and Macavei beat Kentucky’s Ellie Myers in two sets as well (6-1, 6-1).

In other women’s tennis news, Valeria Ray got her name added to the list of NCAA qualifiers after beating Leyla Britez Risso of Tennessee at the ITA Sectional Championships. Ray beat Britez Risso in two sets (6-1, 6-3). It is the second straight season that Ray has earned a spot at the NCAA Singles Championship.

Today’s Commodores Schedule

Vanderbilt men’s tennis at ITF M25 Features, Day 1.

Vanderbilt women’s basketball vs. Furman, 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

This Weekend’s Commodores Results Today

Vanderbilt bowling finished 3rd place at the Bulldog Classic.

Vanderbilt volleyball lost to Tennessee 3-0.

Vanderbilt swimming lost to Indiana State 260-87.

Vanderbilt swimming lost to Illinois 262-85.

Vanderbilt men’s basketball beats UCF 105-93.

Vanderbilt football beat Auburn 45-38 in overtime

Vanderbilt women’s tennis finished 3-0 in singles play at the June Stewart Invitational.

Vanderbilt soccer beat No. 5-seed LSU 2-1 in a shootout at the SEC Tournament Championship.

Did You Notice?

Vanderbilt swimming took two losses over the weekend against Indiana State and Illinois. The Commodores dropped the first meet of the weekend to the Sycamores 260-87 and then the second meet to the Fighting Illini 262-85.

Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2026 Baseball Season Opener

95 days

Commodores Quote of The Day

“I felt like a Yankee and a stranger when I first came here, but I guess I’ve been reconstructed. Vanderbilt is the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”Tackle Bob Werckle (1947, 1949-51)

: