By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech's tennis team's season-long eight-match road swing carries on over the weekend, as the Golden Eagles will head to Liberty for a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Flames. First serve in Lynchburg, Va. is slated for noon CT.
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A look at Tennessee Tech
Tech's tangle with Liberty will mark the purple and gold's first match against a non-nationally ranked opponent this spring. TTU (0-3) has had the tall task of playing a pair of affairs at No. 6 Tennessee on Jan. 14 and single contest at No. 14 Wake Forest on Jan. 16. The Golden Eagles were upended in all three contests and are in search of their first point of the season.
Tech was recently selected to finish in second in the South Division of the Horizon League's 2023 Preseason Poll, as voted on by the conference's 11 head coaches. This spring will mark TTU's first season competing in the Horizon League after wrapping up the 2022 campaign with the program's 11th OVC Tournament title.
The Golden Eagles enter 2023 having claimed a spot in the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six full seasons. Tech brings back a quartet of Golden Eagles, highlighted by three All-OVC players. Elias Grubert comes back to Cookeville after being named the OVC Player of the Year last spring and joins Mika Berghaus as Tech's two returners who took home All-OVC first-team accolades in 2022. Evzen Holis comes back for his junior season after securing an All-OVC second-team honor last year.
A look at Liberty
The Flames (0-1) host Tech on the heels of a season-opening 7-0 loss to No. 1 Virginia on Thursday. The matchup with the Golden Eagles will mark the second of a three-match homestand that opens the spring for Liberty.
The Flames were recently picked to win the Atlantic Sun in the league's preseason poll after the squad collected its second-consecutive ASUN tournament title in 2022. Liberty finished last spring ranked No. 66 in the country. The club returns seven players from last year's championship team, including the program's all-time singles wins record holder in Josh Wilson.
Inside the series
Saturday's get-together will mark the first-ever meeting in the all-time series.
Photo by Thomas Corhern