By Will Barnhart, TTU Sports Information student assistant
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team closed out their regular season with a dominant 7-0 win over conference opponent Lindenwood at home on Sunday. The victory was a nice way to celebrate Senior Day, as Golden Eagles Jun Sasagawa and Evzen Holis were recognized for their contributions to the program.
The Golden Eagles (7-13, 7-2 HL) came out firing on all cylinders in doubles action, with Mika Berghaus and Elias Grubert flying past Carlos Rodriguez Gonzalez and Anton de la Puente of Lindenwood (5-12, 2-7 HL) 6-0 in the No. 1 spot. In the No. 3 clash, Paulo Ramos Martin and Jaime Paquet captured the doubles point for Tech with a hard fought 6-4 victory over Mattis Lamm and Pavle Drobjnakovik.
The No. 2 contest did not finish, with Evzen Holis and Pol Masafret leading Alonso de Prada and Fernando Martin Paz 7-6 at the time it was called.
The Golden Eagles carried the momentum over to singles competition, with five of the six matchups going to Tech in straight sets. At the top of the lineup, Mika Berghaus took care of Carlos Rodriguez Gonzalez with a 6-4, 6-1 win in the No. 1 spot, while Elias Grubert defeated Anton de la Puente 6-0, 6-3 in the No. 2 tangle.
In the No. 3 slot, Evzen Holis triumphed over Alonso de Prada with a 6-0, 6-2 tally. In the No. 5 position, Pol Masafret picked up the win in a 6-3, 6-3 decision over Mattis Lamm, and in the No. 6 battle Jaime Paquet came out on top against Pavle Drobjnakovic in a 6-3, 6-4 win.
In the No. 4 matchup, Lindenwood's Fernando Martin Paz was forced to retire in the first set due to injury, as Paulo Ramos Martin claimed the 4-0 victory.
With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, Tech is poised to take aim in its first ever Horizon League Tournament after claiming the No. 2 seed in the conference's South Division behind a 7-2 league ledger. The Golden Eagles will lock up with the No. 3 seed out of the North Division, Northern Kentucky, in the quarterfinals on Friday from the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. First serve is slated for 2 p.m. CT. The winner will square off with the North Division's top seed, Cleveland State, in Saturday's semifinals. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday.
Photo by Jim Dillon