By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team continued its winning ways, as the Golden Eagles secured their fourth straight victory behind a 7-0 nod over previously unbeaten Lipscomb Saturday afternoon at Tech Tennis Courts.
The impressive win keeps Tech undefeated against unranked opponents this spring with a perfect 5-0 mark, while the purple and gold's triumph over the Bisons (9-1) inches TTU closer and closer to a perfect homestand, having collected wins in the first three clashes in the club's four-match stretch in Cookeville.
The Golden Eagles (5-4) showcased their depth during singles play with victories in all six singles spots, overcoming the absence of their normal No. 1 competitor, Evzen Holis, who suffered an injury in the squad's last contest against Chattanooga on Mar. 1. Rafael Tosetto made the seamless transition back up to the No. 1 slot and showed his resiliency after falling in the first set, 6-4, to Victor Chaw. The Golden Eagle sophomore out of Jacarei, Brazil claimed the next two sets with a 6-0 nod in the second and a 6-2 win in the third en route to his first singles triumph this spring.
Elias Grubert was the only other Golden Eagle that needed three sets in his solo battle, mirroring Tosetto's resilience after dropping the initial set, 7-5, to Jorge Ortegon in the No. 3 position. The TTU sophomore would go on to win the next two sets by identical 6-3 margins for his fourth straight win that pushed his singles ledger to a club-leading 7-2 mark.
Carlos Vicente, Riku Kubota and Fanis Kontopoulos continued their hot streaks as well, as the Tech trio each registered their fourth straight win. Vicente picked up a 6-3, 6-3 nod over Pablo Caffarena in the No. 2 affair, while Kubota earned a 7-5, 6-2 triumph against Pedro Uribe in the No. 4 slot and Kontopoulos handed Maksim Bogdanovich his first loss this season with a 6-0, 6-4 victory.
Lucca Silva made the most of his appearance in the No. 6 position behind a 6-3, 6-3 win over former Golden Eagle Gonzalo Garica-Nieto to help cap off Tech's perfect singles performance.
TTU kick started the contest by capturing the doubles point thanks to wins out of the first two positions. Carlos Vicente and Fanis Kontopoulos notched a 6-1 nod over Victor Chaw and Pablo Caffarena in the No. 1 clash, while Riku Kubota and Lucca Silva secured a 6-3 victory against Jorge Ortegon and Pedro Uribe in the No. 2 tilt.
The third tandem tangle pitting Marc Mila and Rafael Tosetto against Gonzalo Garcia-Nieto and Jake Penny did not finish.
The Golden Eagles will be in search of their fifth consecutive win, wrapping up a four-match homestand on Friday, Mar. 13 against Winthrop. First serve is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT and admission to Tech Tennis Courts is free of charge.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
