Vanderbilt Volleyball Coach Anders Nelson Talks Playing in Memorial for First Time: The Anchor

Friday night, Vanderbilt volleyball dropped its third match of the season against No. 14 Minnesota 3-0. It was the Commodores first game in Memorial Gymnasium since the volleyball program returned after a 45-year hiatus.

Despite the loss, Vanderbilt head coach Anders Nelson talked about the environment playing in Memorial Gym for the first time this season.

“The environment was awesome. These are things that I’ve dreamed of for a couple of years, and we get to have this match and have this crowd,” Nelson said. “It was pretty special for us and the players. We’ve worked really hard over the last couple years to build our brand and we want a deep and broad base of support. I think it was all sides of Nashville that supported us. And the student section was awesome and we’re so thankful for just how they’ve bought into this program and how excited they’ve gotten about our program.”

Despite the loss, Vanderbilt still did its best to hang tough with a team that seems to be even better than its current ranking. Ultimately, Minnesota’s blocking ability is what separated the Gophers from the Commodores.

“I think athletically we do match up. But we just did not have enough continuous good play. We’re working on that a lot in practice. We learned what playing a really good blocking team and we have got to get better at hitting against blocks,” Nelson said.

Now at 2-3, Vanderbilt heads to California for its next game Wednesday against the Golden Bears at 9 p.m. CT.

Today’s Commodores Schedule

There are no games scheduled.

Yesterday’s Commodores Results Today

There were no games scheduled yesterday.

Did You Notice?

In Vanderbilt soccer’s latest win against Middle Tennessee State, the Commodores defense was incredible, not even allowing a single shot attempt. Vanderbilt outshot Middle Tennessee State 10-0 and had position for 59 percent of the game. 

Vanderbilt now returns home against LSU for its SEC opener.

Countdown to Vanderbilt’s 2025 Basketball Season Opener

55 days

Commodores Quote of The Day

“Being self-centered is a good thing from that fact that you have to be self-centered, selfish and driven in order to be a very successful player. That is a truism for a lot of players. What you have to do is take that selfish part and intertwine it into the team.”Tim Corbin

: