By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – At long last the Tennessee Tech tennis team will make its 2018 spring home opener, as the Golden Eagles will play host to Austin Peay in an OVC clash Friday afternoon. The match is slated to begin at noon CT.
With the first 13 matches of their campaign away from Cookeville, the Golden Eagles (3-10, 1-0 OVC) will finally return to the friendly confines of Tech Tennis Courts, a place that has seen the purple and gold compile a 29-1 record in the last 30 matches at home. TTU will also take a 24-match regular season conference winning streak into the equation when it hosts the Govs Friday.
The Golden Eagles enter their home opener on the heels of an impressive showing in the club's OVC opener. Tech blanked Eastern Illinois on Mar. 17, routing the Panthers 7-0 in a match that saw the Golden Eagles drop just one set during singles action.
No. 58 Eduardo Mena collected a 6-0, 6-0 win out of the No. 1 spot, moving the Bultrago del Lozoya, Spain native's all-time conference mark to 22-1. The two-time OVC Player of the Year is 7-4 this spring, having won four in a row.
Wenceslao Albin, Marc Mila, Jorge Alfonzo, Gonzalo Garcia and Arthur Justo all captured singles nods as well in the shutout over the Panthers. Albin and Garcia are tied for second on the Golden Eagles with six singles wins apiece this season.
Austin Peay (1-13, 0-2 OVC) dropped its first two conference clashes, first falling 4-3 to Tennessee State on Mar. 16, before a 6-1 loss against Belmont on Mar. 17. Jacob Lorino and Almantas Ozelis lead the Governors with three singles wins each, while Evan Bottorff's 2-2 singles record serves as the team's highest winning percentage (.500).
The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series 43-25 with the Govs.
Admission to Tech Tennis Courts is free of charge.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information