NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Sophomore Dean O'Brien kept his early-season
winning streak going strong Friday night, but it was the only point
that the Tennessee Tech men's tennis squad could muster in losing a
6-1 non-conference match to Middle Tennessee State.
A sophomore business major from Benmore, South Africa, O'Brien
improved to 3-0 in 2009 as Tech's No. 1 player in singles, posting
a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory over MTSU's Victor Melo.
"We played well, but Middle Tennessee is a very strong team," said
first-year Tech coach Dan Silverstein. "They're going to be a Top
50 team."
Middle Tennessee opened the season earlier in the day by shutting
out Chattanooga, 7-0. Silverstein was highly complimentary of
O'Brien.
"Dean played really well, and this was a nice win for him,"
Silverstein said. "He's a great player, and he's a great kid, too.
He's a leader for us and he does all the right things, on the court
and off. I think he's going to have a really outstanding
season."
The Golden Eagles opened the event by yielding the doubles point to
the Blue Raiders, battling in all three tandem contests before
losing. James Crawford and Lloyd Harris fell, 8-3, to John Peers
and Robert McKenzie at No. 1 doubles; O'Brien and Justin Kirstein
won five points from Melo and Matthew Langley before falling 8-3;
and Josh Girling and Mario Gutierrez dropped an 8-4 set to Richard
Cowden and Morgan Richard to put the Blue Raiders on top, 1-0.
Walking off the court with straight set wins in the first three
matches to finish clinched the match for the Blue Raiders. At No.
3, McKenzie topped Girling, 6-1, 6-2, followed by a 6-2, 6-1 win by
Peers over Alex Chen at No. 2. The fourth point went to MTSU when
Richard claimed a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Oscar Pachon at No. 5.
Kirstein earned the middle set at No. 4 before losing to Langley,
0-6, 6-4, 3-6 to make it a 5-0 MTSU lead.
O'Brien battled his way to a win at No. 1 for Tech's point, before
Cowden outlasted Gutierrez at No. 6, 6-0, 7-5.
The Golden Eagles are now out of action for nearly a month,
returning in mid February for a pair of contests in the Hoosier
State. Tech plays at Indiana State on Feb. 20, and Butler on Feb.
21.
The Tech women's team, meanwhile, opens the spring season at Middle
Tennessee on Feb. 1. The Golden Eagle women then play a pair of
home matches in the middle of the month with visits by
Arkansas-Little Rock on Feb. 7, and Arkansas State on Feb. 15.
Middle Tennessee 6, Tennessee Tech 1
Friday, January 23, 2009 (at Nashboro Village)
Singles
1. Dean O'Brien (TTU) def. Victor Melo (MT) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
2. John Peers (MT) def. Alex Chen (TTU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Robert McKenzie (MT) def. Josh Girling (TTU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Matthew Langley (MT) def. Justin Kirstein (TTU) 6-0, 4-6,
6-3
5. Morgan Richard (MT) def. Oscar Pachon (TTU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Richard Cowden (MT) def. Mario Gutierrez (TTU) 6-0, 7-5
Doubles
1. John Peers/Robert McKenzie (MT) def. James Crawford/Lloyd Harris
(TTU) 8-3
2. Victor Melo/Matthew Langley (MT) def. Justin Kirstein/Dean
O'Brien (TTU) 8-5
3. Richard Cowden/Morgan Richard (MT) def. Josh Girling/Mario
Gutierrez (TTU) 8-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,2,5,4,1,6)
April 16, 2009
O'Brien, Holtzhausen and Kirstein honored by OVC
April 15, 2009
Sophomore Dean O'Brien takes home fourth weekly OVC honor
April 14, 2009
Tech tennis teams bid for OVC titles this weekend in Paducah
April 10, 2009
Tech Tennis drops final home matches of season to EKU
April 2, 2009
Holtzhausen, O'Brien earned second straight OVC honor
April 1, 2009
Golden Eagles get clean sweep of Govs, 7-0
March 26, 2009
Holtzhausen, O'Brien take both weekly OVC awards
March 21, 2009
Golden Eagle men win, women lose in matches with UT Martin
March 18, 2009
Golden Eagle netters tripped by No. 62 Georgia Tech, 5-2
March 18, 2009
Tech and UTC split matches before conference play starts
March 13, 2009
Tech Tennis splits matches with powerhouse West Florida
February 21, 2009
Tech falls by slimmest of margins to Butler, 4-3
February 20, 2009
Tech returns from two-week layoff to trounce ISU Sycamores, 6-1
February 19, 2009
Sophomore Dean O'Brien earns ITA National Ranking
February 10, 2009
Borja Zarco recipient of annual Johnny Donnelly Scholarship
January 24, 2009
Unbeaten O'Brien claims another win, but tennis team drops 6-1 match
January 23, 2009
Men's tennis team meets strong Middle Tennessee team in Nashville
January 18, 2009
O'Brien knocks off No. 29 in singles, Tech drops two on road
December 31, 2008
Golden Eagle men's tennis team opens spring season this weekend
November 19, 2008
Golden Eagle Tennis is looking for past players
October 22, 2008
Golden Eagles put up fight at ITA Fall Regional
October 15, 2008
Golden Eagles get ready for ITA Regionals at Kentucky
October 12, 2008
Golden Eagles look toward ITA Regionals after scrimmage