CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Following a 5-2 win over host Austin Peay, the Tennessee Tech tennis team finished the 2015 regular season with an impressive 8-1 record in Ohio Valley Conference play, and earned a share of the regular season title.
Tech, 10-12, 8-1 OVC, will share the regular season crown with Eastern Kentucky, who also finished 8-1. Heading into the OVC tournament, EKU will have the No. 1 seed, while Tech has the No. 2, as they have the tie-breaker over the Golden Eagles. Both squads will head into the tournament with a first-round bye.
The Golden Eagles opened things up by earning the first point of the day in doubles action. Two freshmen paired up in the No. 3 spot to help the Golden Eagles to their share of its share of the title. Eduardo Mena and Jorge Alfonzo took down Manuel Montenegro and Aleh Drobysh, 8-6. Two upperclassmen played their part, and helped close out the doubles point with a win in the No. 2 doubles match. Tech's lone senior Artem Tarasov and junior Alvaro Cintas topped Aaron Jumonville and Aleksas Tverijonas, 8-4. The No. 1 doubles match remained unfinished as the point had already been won.
In singles action, Junior Alex Arovin earned a win over Dimitar Ristovski, 6-4, 6-4, in the No. 1 match. In the No. 2 match, Mena fell to Tverijonas, 6-3, 6-4. This snapped an 11-match winning streak for Mena, however, Tverijonas' win gave him his 11th-straight win.
Sophomore Alberto Esteban topped Jumonville in a tight match after losing the first set. Esteban took the match with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win. Cintas also earned a point for the Golden Eagles with a 7-6(7-5), 7-4, win over Iago Seffrin. The fifth and final Tech point came from Alfonzo. The freshman took down Drobysh 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The Governors earned its second point in the No. 5 match up, as TTU freshman Carlos Tajes fell to Montenegro, 7-5, 6-7(4-7), 10-4.
The Ohio Valley Conference tournament will be held next weekend, April 17-19. As the No. 2 seed, the Golden Eagles will start on Saturday, facing the winner of the No. 3 and No. 6 match. Matches will be held at the Centennial Sportsplex Tennis Center in Nashville.