Golden Eagles wrap up OVC home schedule with two this weekend

Golden Eagles wrap up OVC home schedule with two this weekend


COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech tennis team wraps up its Ohio Valley Conference home schedule this weekend when the Golden Eagles take on SIUE on Saturday and Eastern Illinois on Sunday. The Golden Eagles are currently in possesion of a 5-0 record in OVC play, with three of those wins coming at home. 

SIUE arrives in Cookeville with a 3-2 conference record, with wins against Murray State, Tennessee State, and Eastern Illinois. Cougar's No.1 Marten Jonsson is 8-4 this season in singles, with a record of 3-1 in conference. Tennessee Tech has never dropped a set to SIUE, owning a mark of 2-0 against the Cougars.

On Sunday, the Golden Eagles will look to keep their perfect record against the Eastern Illinois Panthers intact, winning all 14 matches between the two schools. The Panthers enter this weekend 6-6 overall and 2-3 in the OVC, losing three of their last four. 

This Sunday, Tennessee Tech says farewell to two Golden Eagle seniors in Syrym Abdukhalikov and Arturo Santa Ruiz as they play their final home match. Abdukhalikov wraps up two seasons at Tennessee Tech, capturing 58 total wins, with 29 wins coming from singles play and another 29 in doubles play. The Kazakhstan native will leave Tennessee Tech with numerous awards and accolades including 2012 team MVP, 2012 first-team All-OVC, and 2013 OVC Player of the Week. 

Santa Ruiz has gone 8-5 overall in singles play including a 4-2 record in OVC contests, and managed a 7-3 record in doubles matches his freshman year. After his sophomore season, Santa Ruiz racked up 19 career wins in singles, and nine total wins in doubles. In his time as a Golden Eagle, he has been a valuable asset to the team, and left a mark on the program with his leadership and experience. 

Saturday's match is at 12 p.m. vs. SIUE. Sunday's match is at 12 p.m. vs. Eastern Illinois.

Admission is free to all Tech matches which will take place on the campus courts.