By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A two-match weekend swing is on tap for the Tennessee Tech tennis team, as the Golden Eagles will meet UNC Greensboro Friday afternoon and Radford Saturday morning. Both matches will be played at the Radford Tennis Complex in Radford, Va. Friday's affair is set to begin at 1 p.m. CT, while Saturday's clash is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.
A look at Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles (0-6) will be in search of their first triumph of the spring after squaring off against a tough slate that has featured four nationally-ranked opponents over the first six contests. Tech dropped a pair of matches at No. 10 Wake Forest on Jan. 9, before falling in both tilts of a doubleheader at No. 19 Mississippi State on Feb. 6. TTU's other losses were a 4-3 defeat at Lipscomb on Feb. 11 and a 6-1 decision at Kennesaw State on Feb. 26.
In Tech's matchup at KSU, Andre Rodeia was responsible for the lone point with a 6-4, 6-1 nod in the No. 4 spot for his first singles win of the spring. Evzen Holis has a solo victory as well this season, while Elias Grubert is the squad leader with a 2-2 singles record.
A look at UNC Greensboro
Before locking up with the purple and gold, the Spartans (3-6) will say hello to Radford in the club's 10th match of the spring on Thursday. After a difficult stretch in which UNCG dropped six of seven, the squad bounced back with a 4-3 win over Davidson on Sunday in a match that saw the Spartans capture the doubles point to go along with singles victories by Nico Grewe, Hugh Knapp and Roger Rogowski.
Grewe enters the weekend having won two of his last three solo battles.
A look at Radford
Before hosting Tech on Saturday, the Highlanders (3-4) will square off with UNCG in a Thursday home meeting. Radford has won two of its last three behind conference victories over Hampton on Feb. 20 and North Carolina A&T on Feb. 26. Sandwiched in between the pair of triumphs was a 6-1 loss at No. 16 North Carolina State on Feb. 24.
Aditya Balsekar did claim a singles nod in the defeat to the nationally-ranked Wolfpack, and coupled with a solo win in Saturday's clash with North Carolina A&T, the 6-foot-1 sophomore out of Mumbai, India was named the Big South Player of the Week on Wednesday. Balsekar's 5-2 overall record this spring is second on the squad, trailing only Andres Silva's 6-2 singles mark, which includes a 2-0 record out of the No. 1 spot.
Inside the series
Friday's get-together with UNCG will mark the fourth in the all-time series. The Golden Eagles won the previous three meetings thanks to wins in 2002, 2004 and 2012. Saturday's matchup with Radford will mark the seventh in the all-time set. The Highlanders lead 4-2, but Tech has secured back-to-back nods, including a 4-3 victory in last year's home opener on Mar. 11, 2021 in Cookeville.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
