By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team headlined the OVC men's tennis predicted order of finish, while the Golden Eagles were also featured prominently in the preseason player top 10 behind a league-best four selections.
Both lists were announced by the conference Thursday following a vote among the league's six head coaches.
Tech was picked to win the title after securing five-of-six first-place votes, tallying 25 total points in the poll. Belmont earned the other first-place vote, finishing in second place with 21 total points.
Evzen Holis took home to No. 4 spot in the preseason top 10 rankings, one slot ahead of Elias Grubert who earned a No. 5 ranking. Carlos Vicente was named to the No. 7 position and Rafael Tosetto rounded out the Tech quartet with a No. 9 ranking. Jacksonville State had three players in the top 10, while Belmont placed two and Austin Peay earned one selection.
The Golden Eagles enter the 2021 spring season having won four straight OVC Tournament titles, a streak still intact after COVID-19 forced the cancelation of the 2020 spring campaign after nine matches. Tech has also seized seven regular-season conference championships in the last nine full seasons.
TTU wrapped up the 2020 year with a 5-4 overall record, but ended the season surging with wins in five of the its last six matches, including claiming four straight nods at the time the campaign was called.
Evzen Holis posted a 5-3 singles mark, doing most of the damage at the top of the Tech lineup. The 6-foot-2 rookie went a combined 4-1 out of the top two slots, going 2-1 in the No. 1 position and 2-0 in the No. 2 spot. Holis began 2021 as the club's No. 1 singles competitor in TTU's season-opening clash at Tennessee on Jan. 16.
Elias Grubert, a 2019 All-OVC second teamer, compiled Tech's best singles resume in 2020, registering a 7-2 spring mark with a 16-6 overall record dating back to the fall. Carlos Vicente, the 2019 OVC Freshman of the Year and All-OVC first-team performer, concluded last season with a 6-3 singles ledger, highlighted by a 5-0 mark out of the No. 3 position.
Rafael Tosetto, a 2019 All-OVC first teamer, was the only Golden Eagle to play in the No. 1 singles spot in 2019 and went 4-1 out of that position during conference action. Tosetto spent 2020 playing in both the No. 1 and No. 2 singles slots for the purple and gold.
After falling to No. 13 Tennessee in the 2021 season opener, the Golden Eagles will travel to Louisville for two matches against the Cardinals on Sunday, Jan. 31.
Photo by Thomas Corhern