Posted: Mar 20, 2011
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. --
The Tennessee Tech men's tennis team opened its 2011 home schedule with a 6-1 victory over Eastern Illinois to improve to 4-4 on the season, with a perfect 2-0 mark in OVC play.
EIU may have started the day gaining one point, winning two of the three doubles matches, but it was in the singles matches that Tech thrived as it swept all six matches to secure the 6-1 win.
Five of the Golden Eagles six singles victories came in straight sets, including three dominant performances from Murilo deOliveira, Vasily Eremeev and Arthur Santa Ruiz. Eremeev defeated EIU's Kevin Bauman by the scores of 6-2, 6-2, while Santa Ruiz took down Charlie Dryden 6-3, 6-4. Tech's deOliveira won a pair of 6-4 sets against Jamie Firth.
Josh Girling took the No. 2 singles match in straight sets, against a tough opponent in Warren Rae. Girling took the first set 7-6, and was able to carry the momentum into the second set with a 6-2 victory.
Justin Kirstein opened his match with a 6-3 victory in the first set, but EIU' Matyas Hilbert did not make it easy on Kirstein in the second set as Kirstein took the 7-6 win after four deuces.
The No. 1 singles match between TTU's Alex Chen and EIU's Michael Sperry was the lone match to go to a deciding third set. Chen opened the match with a 6-1 victory in the first set, only to have Sperry answer right back with a 7-5 win in the second set. Chen recovered quickly, as he took the third set 7-5 to complete Tech's 6-1 victory.
The Golden Eagles head to Radford, Va., to take on a trio of opponents this weekend beginning with host Radford Friday, at 3 p.m. Tech will also face Charlotte and George Washington.