By Dylan Vazzano, Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A busy weekend is on the books for the Tennessee Tech tennis team as the Golden Eagles are set to play three matches in three days, all in the Volunteer State. On Friday, Tech (1-0) heads down to Chattanooga for a battle with the Mocs at 5 p.m. CT, before staying in the Scenic City for a Saturday neutral site affair with Georgia Southern at noon. On Sunday, the Golden Eagles will end its three-match flurry with a 12:30 p.m. meeting at the University of Tennessee.
TTU has had a lengthy layoff following a season-opening 4-3 victory at Lispscomb on Jan. 21, the second-straight spring that the Golden Eagles have unwrapped their campaign with a 4-3 win over the Bisons. After capturing the doubles point, juniors Eduardo Mena, Jorge Alfonzo and Carlos Tajes all registered victories to propel Tech to the finish line.
Mena's win continued a trend for last season's OVC Player of the Year, who compiled an impressive 20-1 singles record in the spring.
As far as the other three schools on Tech's weekend docket are concerned, the trio has already had its fair share of action in the spring. Chattanooga (0-4) is still searching for its first victory of the season, coming off a weekend that saw the Mocs go winless against a pair of OVC schools in Austin Peay on Jan. 28 and Belmont on Jan. 29.
After pacing UTC with four singles wins in the fall, freshman Simon Bustamante is the only Moc with two victories in the spring, going 2-2 thus far. Fellow freshman Niklas Gerdes leads the club with two doubles wins.
Chattanooga paces the all-time series with Tech, 33-22, but the Golden Eagles have captured the last two meetings, including a 6-1 nod in the squad's home opener last year.
After a 1-3 start, Georgia Southern (4-3) enters Saturday's tilt on a three-match win streak, outscoring its opponents 16-3 over that span. Freshmen Stefano Di Aloy and Santiaago Suarez each went a perfect 2-0 in singles play last weekend, helping lead the Eagles to back-to-back 6-1 victories over Alabama State and South Carolina State.
Tech has had only one previous encounter with Georgia Southern, a 7-2 Eagles win in Statesboro, Ga. back in 1991.
TTU will hook up with the Volunteers (5-2) on Super Bowl Sunday in hopes of its first win against its Knoxville counterparts in program history. UT made it 13-straight in the series in last year's meeting, however the Golden Eagles hung tough in what was a narrow 4-3 defeat.
Eduardo Mena and sophomore Guillermo Nicolas took their respective singles matches in the tilt, capturing wins in three sets.
After winning its first four matches of the season, UT has dropped two of its last three. Sophomore Timo Stodder has led the Vols charge with a 4-1 singles record, all out of the No. 1 spot.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
