By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - After nearly 10 days without an event, the Tennessee Tech tennis team will return to action Friday as the Golden Eagles make their way to the UTC/Baras Fall Classic at the Champions Club.
Head coach Kenny Doyle will take seven players to the event, which is kicking off its 31st year as Chattanooga's main fall event. The Mocs once again will play host to several top programs in what is annually one of the best fall collegiate tournaments in the region .
Play will open at 7 a.m. CDT on Friday, Sept. 27 and continue through Sunday, Sept. 29. Opening the tournament for the Golden Eagles will be Vasily Eremeev as he takes on Middle Tennessee's Yannick Born in the Flight 1 singles bracket. Also participating in the Flight 1 singles bracket will be Oleksiy Arovin. The sophomore will face off against a familiar face from the Ohio Valley Conference, Mauricio Antun of Belmont.
The Flight 2 Singles bracket pits freshhman Alberto Esteban against the third-seeded Daniel Hernandez of Lipscomb as well as Gagan Jain, a transfer from Nebraska, against Abilene Christian's Guilherme Gesser.
Junior Artem Tarasov will represent Tennessee Tech as the No. 3 seed in the Flight 3 Singles bracket, taking on John Peacey of Chattanooga. Another junior, Alvaro Cintas, will wrap up singles play in the third bracket for the Golden Eagles, facing off against another OVC opponent in the form of No. 1 seed Alex Alvaro of Eastern Kentucky.
Sophomore Othon Lima will be the lone representative for Tech in the Flight 4 Singles bracket, playing against Chattanooga's Austin Boaz.
On the doubles side of the court, the duo of Eremeev/Tarasov will make a stand against Chattanooga's team of Pasha Grigorjevs and Jorge Varon in Flight 1 Doubles.
In Flight 2 Doubles, Tech's team of Esteban/Arovin will be pitted against Daridge Saidi and Joao Maio of Eastern Kentucky.
Flight 4 Doubles marks the final match-up for the Golden Eagles as the duo of Cintas/Jain will take on the conjoined efforts of Lipscomb's Nacor Ibanez and Abilene Christian's Michael Morris.
In addition to Tennessee Tech, the host Chattanooga Mocs will welcome Abilene Christian, Samford, East Tennessee State, Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, Eastern Kentucky, Lipscomb, Belmont, and Lee University.
Results will be posted throughout the event to GoMocs.com. A post-tournament recap will be available on TTUsports.com.
