By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – For the second time in his career, Tennessee Tech tennis returning sophomore Carlos Vicente collected Ohio Valley Conference Male Tennis Athlete of the Week honors Wednesday afternoon.
Covering the No. 1 singles role for the Golden Eagles in a pair of matches, the veteran was the clear leader both on and off the court for the Tech squad without a single upperclassman on the roster. In the team's non-conference tilt with Chattanooga, Vicente outlasted Tomas Rodriguez in three sets, claiming a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win to set up Tech's 4-3 victory.
In doubles play against Belmont in the teams' OVC opener, he paired with freshman Andre Rodeia for no official result, deadlocked in a 5-5 tie before the Bruins claimed the doubles point. The Valencia, Spain native dropped a narrow decision to the league's top-ranked player coming into the season, Marko Illic. Fighting through three sets, he fell to the Bruin veteran 2-6, 6-3, 7-6.
His fight proved inspiring for his teammates, who combined to win each of the other five singles points for the 5-2 win over the Bruins.
Vicente, the OVC's Freshman of the Year in 2019, also earned the final Male Tennis Player of the Week honor of the 2020 campaign prior to the shutdown of college athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This time around, he shared the honor with Jacksonville State's Joaquin Vallejo.
Tech will continue with OVC play Saturday, Mar. 27 with a trip to Charleston, Ill. and match-up with Eastern Illinois.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
