By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team is set to put a lid on non-conference play in 2017, as the Golden Eagles will flock down to Jacksonville for a Monday meeting with North Florida. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. CT.
The quick trip down to the Sunshine State comes right on the heels of an impressive showing in Saturday's Ohio Valley Conference opener, with Tech (6-5) flexing its muscles to the tune of a 7-0 win over Eastern Illinois. The conference christening, which was also the much anticipated home debut for the defending OVC champs, saw the Golden Eagles seize every set en route to their unblemished afternoon.
The usual suspects were at play in TTU's perfect beginning, highlighted by junior Eduardo Mena, who began his reigning OVC Player of the Year conference campaign with a straight-set nod in the No. 1 singles matchup. Overall, the Bultrago del Lozoya, Spain native leads the Golden Eagles with a 9-2 singles mark.
Marcos Bernardes, Alberto Esteban, Guillermo Nicolas, Marc Mila and Carlos Tajes accompanied Mena with straight-set victories in singles play. Bernardes and fellow junior Jorge Alfonzo each have five singles wins this spring, while Bernardes has also compiled Tech's best doubles record with a 6-2 showing in 2017.
At 4-2 in singles action and 5-3 in doubles play, sophomore Guillermo Nicolas is picking up right where he left off after capturing last season's OVC Freshman of the Year award. Following Saturday's singles nod against the Panthers, Nicolas moved his conference career record to a perfect 10-0.
As far as UNF is concerned, the Ospreys (7-6) are awaiting their first conference match in the Atlantic Sun as they also close out the non-conference slate Monday evening.
North Florida enters its tangle with Tech on a lengthy layoff having not seen the courts since a Mar. 8 loss at South Florida. The Ospreys had won four of its previous five before the battle with the Bulls.
UNF has played a challenging schedule this spring with five previous meetings against teams ranked in the nation's Top 35. The Ospreys have already locked up with No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 22 Tulane, No. 28 South Alabama, No. 30 Georgia State and No. 34 Tennessee.
The Ospreys come into Monday evening scorching in doubles play, taking the doubles point in 13-straight matches. The club's No. 1 duo of Jefta Kecic and Jack Findel-Hawkins has won six in a row. In singles play, Lasse Muscheites and Sahil Deshmukh sit atop the North Florida charge with eight wins apiece.
Monday will mark the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Photo by Jim Dillon
