By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Behind a dominating performance in the regular-season finale, the Tennessee Tech tennis team has reached the top yet again.
With TTU's 7-0 win over Tennessee State Wednesday afternoon, the Golden Eagles claim at least a share of the regular-season OVC title, the club's seventh regular-season crown over the last nine years. This season's march to the title was capped off with a run as good as any in recent recollection, with Tech (8-13, 4-1 OVC) securing four consecutive 7-0 conference wins after falling in the OVC opener to Belmont.
Wednesday's exclamation point saw the Golden Eagles not drop a singles set, rolling off six straight-set nods en route to the victory over the Tigers (5-10, 0-4). Rafael Tosetto, who claimed his second career OVC Male Tennis Athlete of the Week award earlier in the day, controlled the No. 1 singles matchup with a 6-0, 6-0 win against Leandros Misdrachis.
Tosetto ends his regular season with a 9-9 singles mark, highlighted by four consecutive conference victories, all out of the vaunted top spot in the Tech lineup.
Fellow freshmen Carlos Vicente and Elias Grubert followed suit with wins out of the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Vicente earned a 6-2, 6-1 nod over Stefan Korgua in the No. 2 position, while Grubert took home a straight-set victory with a 6-2 win in the opening set and was leading 3-0 over Juan Rojas Antezana at the time Rojas Antezana retired.
Tech's bottom of the singles rotation proved to be just as dominant. Riku Kubota collected a 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Larry Sloan in the No. 4 meeting, while Wenceslao Albin picked up a 6-0, 6-1 victory against Maksims Kazijevs in the No. 5 get-together and Fanis Kontopoulos carded a 6-2, 6-1 win over Albert Gonzalez in the No. 6 gathering.
Tech controlled doubles play with wins out of the bottom two spots in the order to secure the point. Riku Kubota and Wenceslao Albin knocked off Leandros Misdrachis and Stefan Koruga, 6-0, in the No. 2 matchup and Rafael Tosetto and Lucca Silva rolled to a 6-0 victory over Larry Sloan and Alberto Gonzalez in the No. 3 position.
Gonzalo Garcia and Carlos Vicente led Maksims Kazijevs and Juan Rojas Antezana, 5-1, at the time the clash was called.
The Golden Eagles will await their seeding for the OVC Tournament. Tech is currently sitting at 4-1 in the OVC, while Belmont and Jacksonville State are both 3-1. Belmont closes out the regular season Saturday at Austin Peay, while Jacksonville State travels to Tennessee State on Saturday to conclude its OVC slate.
The OVC Tournament is scheduled for Friday, Apr. 26 through Sunday, Apr. 28 in Nashville.
Photo by Tony Marable
