By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – In-state showdowns and the conference home opener are in store for the Tennessee Tech tennis team, as the Golden Eagles prepare to host both Tennessee State and Belmont over the weekend for TTU's first Horizon League home matches of the spring.
Originally slated for a 2 p.m. CT beginning on Saturday, Tech's tangle with TSU is now scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, while Sunday's get-together with the Bruins will get underway at 2 p.m. Admission to both matches at Tech Tennis Courts is free of charge.
Now both members of the Horizon League, Sunday's contest with Belmont renews a rivalry that has routinely featured championship implications when the two teams meet on the courts. Since 2018, TTU and BU have met each and every year in the finals of the OVC Tournament (excluding 2020) and they are one of only two schools to claim the OVC's regular-season crown since 2016 (excluding 2020). The two teams were picked No. 1 (Belmont) and No. 2 (Tech) respectively in the Horizon League South Division 2023 Preseason Poll.
A look at Tennessee Tech
The Golden Eagles (2-10, 2-0 Horizon League) are coming off a successful weekend that saw the purple and gold unwrap its first season as members of the Horizon League with back-to-back dominating performances in the club's first two conference clashes. Tech first toppled Lindenwood 7-0 on Feb. 17 in St. Charles, Mo. before powering past EIU with a 6-1 victory on Feb. 18 in Charleston, Ill.
TTU flourished during doubles play to the tune of a 4-0 weekend throughout tandem action, highlighted by the purple and gold partnership of Mika Berghaus and Pol Masafret, who registered a perfect 2-0 mark.
The Golden Eagles were equally impressive during singles play, capturing 11 of 12 possible solo matchups in the pair of affairs. Berghaus, Elias Grubert, Evzen Holis, Paulo Ramos Martin and Jaime Paquet all produced 2-0 records.
Berghaus' excellence helped lead the Cologne, Germany native to the Horizon League Tennis Men's Singles Player of the Week, the first Golden Eagle to claim such an honor this spring. The 6-foot-1 junior and Elias Grubert sit atop the Tech leaderboard in singles victories with four wins apiece this season.
A look at Tennessee State
The Tigers (4-11, 0-1 HL) are fresh off a loss in their Horizon League opener, falling 7-0 at Belmont on Thursday. TSU had won two of its previous three tilts with home nods over Northern Illinois on Mar. 2 and Alabama A&M on Mar. 4.
Jonasz Dziopak, Nil Moinet and Daniel Caraballo all secured solo triumphs in the victory against Alabama A&M, the last points recorded by Tennessee State this spring.
The Tigers were selected to finish in third in the Horizon League's South Division as part of the 2023 Preseason Poll, slotted behind Belmont and Tennessee Tech.
A look at Belmont
The Bruins (10-5, 1-0 HL) come to Cookeville having won three straight matches, which includes a 7-0 victory over TSU in Thursday's Music City showdown that opened the lid on Horizon League action. Marko Illic, Alfred Wallin, Tomas Luis, Ian Cruz, Riccardo Trione and Gabriel Sardo all captured singles wins in the performance against the Tigers, with only Trione's tussle in the No. 5 spot needing more than two sets to conclude.
Luis, the 2022 OVC Freshman of the Year, boasts a Bruin best 10-4 singles record, which includes a 4-0 mark out of the No. 2 spot. Ilic, the 2021 OVC Player of the Year has most frequented the top solo slot in the lineup for Belmont and has gone 6-7 in that position.
Illic and Trione have teamed up to form BU's most formidable doubles duo behind an 11-1 record this spring, with all 12 battles coming out of the No. 1 position in the lineup.
Inside the series
The Golden Eagles have never dropped a match to Tennessee State in the all-time series, soaring to a perfect 35-0 record against the Tigers. TTU topped TSU in both meetings last year thanks to a 6-1 win on Apr. 9 in Nashville and a 4-0 blanking in the OVC Tournament semifinals on Apr. 30 in Evansville, Ind. Tennessee State has been shutout in 29 of the 35 matches that the two schools have played.
Tech holds a 19-12 edge in the all-time set with Belmont, which includes a split in last year's pair of contests. The Bruins topped TTU with a 5-2 nod in Nashville on Apr. 23 for the regular-season crown, but the Golden Eagles got the last laugh with a 4-1 win in the OVC Tournament championship match for Tech's 11th conference tourney crown and first since 2018.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
