By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off its first victory of the spring, the Tennessee Tech tennis team will be in search of its first winning-streak, with a Saturday evening trip to Lipscomb on the books. First serve from Nashville's Richland Country Club is slated for 5 p.m. CT.
The Golden Eagles head into their annual in-state showdown with the Bisons (2-1) having just checked the win column in the club's last affair, a 5-2 nod at UNC Asheville on Feb. 4. After clinching the doubles point, Tech (1-5) seized wins in four-of-six singles battles thanks to victories by Gonzalo Garcia, Wenceslao Albin, Marc Mila and Jorge Alfonzo.
Garcia, a 6-foot-3 freshman out of Barcelona Spain, leads TTU with three singles wins this spring, while Albin, Alfonzo, Mila and No. 51 Eduardo Mena have each collected two victories in the season's early stages.
After starting the year with a 6-1 loss at Vanderbilt, Lipscomb has claimed back-to-back wins behind a 4-3 nod against Gardner-Webb on Jan. 27 and a 7-0 victory over Austin Peay on Feb. 3. The Bisons are 6-1 in doubles tilts this year, paced by Daniel Cardenas and Jorge Ortegon's 3-0 mark.
Cardenas, Ortegon and Victor Chaw are each a club-best 2-1 during singles play.
The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series with the Bisons, 24-12, including wins in eight of the last nine meetings with their in-state counterparts.
Photo by Tony Marable