Men's Tennis

Tech tennis secures top spot in OVC’s predicted order of finish, takes home league-leading six on preseason player top 10

Posted: Feb 08, 2022

By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team highlighted the OVC's annual men's tennis predicted order of finish as well as the preseason player top 10 in a poll that featured more than its fair share of purple and gold.

The Golden Eagles were picked to win the title after securing four-of-five first place votes on the way to a conference-high 16 points, while Kenny Doyle's squad also possessed a league-leading six different student-athletes on the preseason player top 10.

Both lists were announced by the conference Tuesday morning following a vote among the OVC's five head coaches.

Four Golden Eagles cracked the top five in the preseason poll, headlined by Carlos Vicente's No. 1 ranking. Elias Grubert secured a No. 3 spot in the top toll, while Evzen Holis was ranked preseason No. 4 for the second straight season and Rafael Tosetto found himself saddled with a No. 5 ranking. Andre Rodeia and Mika Berghaus rounded out the poll with Rodeia landing on the No. 9 spot and Berghaus in the No. 10 slot.

From a team perspective, Tech marches into the 2022 spring campaign after another regular-season title in 2021, the program's eighth in the last 10 full seasons. After a 4-1 win in the OVC Tournament semifinals against Austin Peay, the Golden Eagles fell 4-3 in the championship match to Belmont in an affair that saw TTU forced to play shorthanded due to COVID-19 protocols. The Golden Eagles had to forfeit both a singles and doubles matchup in a narrow defeat that kept Tech from its fifth consecutive tournament title.

Carlos Vicente is coming off an All-OVC first-team selection behind a 4-1 OVC singles record and a 9-6 overall mark out of the No. 1 spot in the TTU solo order. Elias Grubert, also an All-OVC first teamer in 2021, compiled a perfect 5-0 singles account during conference play and is coming off an impressive 10-4 fall showing for the Parana, Argentina product.

Evzen Holis, a 2021 All-OVC second-team selection, paced the purple and gold with a 13-4 fall, which came on the heels of a 3-1 conference singles ledger and an 8-6 overall spring mark. Rafael Tosetto, who took home All-OVC first-team recognition last spring, boasted an unblemished 5-0 league record last year and a 10-4 singles mark in the fall.

Andre Rodeia, an All-OVC second-teamer in 2021, led the Golden Eagles last spring with 10 wins, including a 5-0 OVC record. The 5-foot-9 sophomore followed it up with a 7-4 fall ledger. Mika Berghaus mirrored Rodeia's 5-0 OVC record with one of his own as part of a 7-5 overall spring season. The Cologne, Germany native carried that success over with a 10-3 fall record.

Four matches into its 2022 spring slate, Tech tennis will head to Lipscomb for a Friday night showdown with the Bisons. First serve in Nashville is set for 6 p.m. CT.

2022 OVC Men's Predicted Order of Finish