By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team will make its triumphant return to the national stage, as the Golden Eagles will cruise to Knoxville for the opening round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Tech will square off with the national No. 6 overall seed, the University Tennessee, in a Friday first-round outdoor clash at 12 p.m. CT from Barksdale Stadium.
Duke and Memphis will face each other earlier on Friday with the winner slated to lock up against the TTU-UT victor in Saturday second-round tilt at 12 p.m. CT. The tournament is a single-elimination format.
Every weekend match will be streamed live. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available for each contest. Click here to follow.
A look at Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles (8-12) will be making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last six full seasons after capturing the program's 11th OVC Tournament title and automatic bid into the prestigious field of 64. The purple and gold just missed out on a regular-season conference crown after falling at Belmont in the regular-season finale, but Tech struck for revenge with everything on the line in the OVC Tournament.
TTU began its run at a title in Evansville, Ind. with a 4-0 victory over Tennessee State in the tourney semifinals, before besting the Bruins behind a 4-1 nod in the championship match. Tech dropped the doubles point to Belmont in the championship showdown, but the Golden Eagles soared during singles play to the tune of straight-set victories in all four completed bouts.
Elias Grubert, Mika Berghaus, Carlos Vicente and Evzen Holis all powered past their respective opponents to help push the purple and gold to glory. Grubert, the OVC Player of the Year, was the only Golden Eagle to roll off a 4-0 OVC mark during the regular season, while Berghaus, an All-OVC first-teamer and TTU's primary No. 2 competitor leads the club with nine singles nods this spring.
Rafael Tosetto joined Grubert and Berghaus on the All-OVC first-team list following a 3-0 OVC regular-season record. Evzen Holis and Carlos Vicente both took home places on the All-OVC second-team, thanks to identical 3-1 conference marks.
From a tandem perspective, Grubert and Berghaus teamed up for a spot on the inaugural All-OVC doubles team, serving as Tech's top duo for most of the spring.
Tech's recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament include matchups at Texas (2019), Mississippi State (2018), Cal (2017) and Ohio State (2016).
A look at No. 6 Tennessee
The Vols (22-7) enter the NCAA Tournament red-hot having won eight of its previous 10 matches. UT finished in fifth place in the Southeastern Conference behind an 8-4 league ledger and advanced to the SEC Tournament semifinals by virtue of victories over Alabama and No. 11 Georgia. The club's run ended with a 4-1 loss to No. 3 Florida.
Four Vols secured All-SEC honors, highlighted by Adam Walton and Johannus Monday's selections on the All-SEC first team, while Emile Hudd and Shunsuke Mitsui collected All-SEC second-team accolades. Playing primarily in the top slot in the UT lineup, Walton has registered a 15-6 overall singles record, going 13-6 in the No. 1 position. Monday boasts a 16-3 overall mark, highlighted by a 13-3 account in the No. 2 slot and a 3-0 record in the top position.
Walton and Pat Harper have partnered up for the most formidable UT tandem with a 16-5 overall record, going 9-0 in the SEC. The duo's damage has occurred from the top of the Tennessee lineup thanks to a 10-4 No. 1 record and a 6-1 No. 2 mark.
Inside the series
The Golden Eagles and Vols will meet for the 17th time in the series history. UT has captured all 16 previous affairs, all of which have occurred in Knoxville. The two squads were slated to hook up this season on Jan. 23, but the match was cancelled.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
