By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – It's a Saturday in Charleston on the books for the Tennessee Tech tennis team, as the Golden Eagles will lock up with Eastern Illinois in the second OVC match of the spring. First serve from Darling Courts is slated for 11 a.m. CT.
A look at Tennessee Tech
Tech (4-5, 1-0 OVC) enters the conference clash scorching after capturing the last four contests, including a 5-2 nod at Belmont in TTU's OVC opener Monday in Nashville. Tech's only losses this spring have come at the hands of "Power 5" competition.
The Golden Eagles soared during singles play in their battle with the Bruins, as Tech took home five of the six solo matchups. Evzen Holis, Elias Grubert, Rafael Tosetto, Andre Rodeia and Mika Berghaus all registered victories in a tilt that featured the top two teams in terms of the OVC's preseason rankings.
Overall, Rodeia and Vicente lead the squad with four singles wins apiece. Carlos Vicente, who was named the OVC co-Male Tennis Athlete of the Week after an impressive showing in the club's previous match at Chattanooga, has a team-best three singles wins out of the top spot in the Tech lineup.
Evzen Holis and Jun Sasagawa have proven to be TTU's most formidable doubles duo with four triumphs this spring, three of which have come out of the top-tandem spot.
A look at Eastern Illinois
The Panthers (2-10, 0-1 OVC) opened the year with wins in two of the first three contests, but have since dropped nine straight. EIU is coming off a pair of midweek losses at No. 37 Northern Illinois, falling 6-1 and 7-0 in a Wednesday doubleheader in Dekalb.
Charles Courteau, Cameron Slabbert and Karan Srivastava lead the team with three singles wins each. Slabbert is the only Panther to possess a winning record in a single spot in the lineup, posing a 3-2 mark out of the No. 6 position.
Srivastava and Paul Riera are the only EIU duo with two doubles nods this spring. The tandem has a 2-5 overall mark, but they have teamed up to go 2-0 out of the No. 2 slot.
Inside the Series
Tennessee Tech has had a stranglehold on the all-time series thanks to a 20-1 advantage in the yearly get-togethers. The Panthers lone win in the set came back in 2014 with 5-2 nod in Charleston. The Golden Eagles have won five in a row since that loss, dropping just one point during that time. The last meeting between the two took place in the OVC Tournament, a 4-0 Golden Eagle win in the semifinals in Nashville.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
