By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team was upended in its 2018 spring opener Monday afternoon, opening its campaign with a 6-1 loss at the University of Tennessee.
Freshman Gonzalo Garcia served as a bright spot for Tech (0-1), carding a singles victory in his first spring tilt as a Golden Eagle. The Barcelona, Spain native edged Andrew Rodgers, 6-3, 3-6, 10-3, in the No. 5 matchup to pick up TTU's lone point in the match.
The Vols (3-0) took control of the contest in the tilt's initial stages, securing the doubles point with wins in the top two spots. The No. 1 tandem of Adam Walton and Preston Touliatos knocked off Tech's No. 1 duo of Eduardo Mena and Riku Kubotoa, 6-0, before Luis Valero and Andrew Rogers collected a 6-2 victory over TTU's No. 2 partnership of Jorge Alfonzo and Gonzalo Garcia.
The No. 3 matchup of UT's Timo Stodder and Nicaise Muamba and Tech's Wenceslao Albin and Arthur Justo did not finish.
The Volunteers parlayed their doubles success into a slew of early singles wins, officially clinching the match in a much anticipated top-spot battle that pitted a pair of top 40 players in the nation. No. 36 Timo Stodder took down No. 28 Eduardo Mena, 6-3, 7-5, for the Vols' third singles win and fourth point overall to push UT into the win column.
Prior to the Mena-Stodder lockup, Adam Walton took down Riku Kubota, 6-1, 6-4, in the No. 4 affair, and Preston Touliatos picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win over Jorge Alfonzo in the No. 2 tilt.
Luca Widenmann defeated the reigning OVC Co-Freshman of the Year, Marc Mila, 6-2, 6-3, in the No. 6 position, while Nicaise Muamba bested Wenceslao Albin, 7-6 (4), 6-4, in the No. 3 slot.
The Golden Eagles will flock north over the weekend, heading to Des Moines, Iowa for a trio of tilts Friday through Sunday. Tech till be at Drake Friday at 6 p.m. CT, before clashing with Northern Illinois Saturday at 1 p.m. and Western Michigan Sunday at 10 a.m.
Photo by Tony Marable