COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Following a 13-day layoff from competition, the Tennessee Tech men’s and women’s tennis teams will return to the court this week. The women play their first match of the week on Thursday before both teams compete on Friday and Sunday.
Thursday will likely mark Tech’s first outdoor home match of the season when UT Chattanooga’s women visit Cookeville for a 2 p.m. contest. The Lady Mocs enter the match with a 3-8 record, while the Golden Eagles seek their first win of the spring after beginning the season 0-4.
Ohio Valley Conference teams have fared well against Chattanooga in 2010, boasting a 3-0 record versus the Lady Mocs. Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and UT Martin have all picked up 4-3 wins against UTC, which is just 1-5 in its last six matches.
The Golden Eagle women will have a quick turnaround as they play at home again on Friday, this time alongside the TTU men. Both teams will take on Austin Peay in the second OVC match for all teams. The matches are scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m.
The Lady Govs are 6-3 this season but 0-1 in the OVC as they lost their first conference match of the season against Jacksonville State, 4-3. Austin Peay’s men are 2-2 thus far in the spring and sport a 0-1 OVC record after falling to JSU, 6-1, in their last match. Tech’s men (3-3, 1-0 OVC) also played JSU in their conference opener and downed the Gamecocks, 5-2.
Tech’s teams will then hit the road as they travel to Eastern Illinois for their first away matches of the conference season on Sunday. The men and women will both play at 11 a.m. at the Darling Courts in Charleston against the Panthers.
EIU’s women have already played nine matches and own a 3-6 record. The Panthers, who recently snapped a four-match losing skid in their home opener against IUPUI, will be playing their first OVC match of the season when Tech comes to town. On the men’s side, EIU is 3-9 and has lost eight of its last nine matches after starting the season 2-1.