By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team suffered its first conference loss of the season, as the Golden Eagles concluded their two-match homestand with a 6-1 defeat to Belmont Sunday afternoon at Tech Tennis Courts.

Mika Berghaus picked up TTU's lone point in the tilt, securing a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Marko Illic in the top singles showdown for his fourth consecutive solo nod. The Cologne, Germany native's stellar showing in the No. 1 position was nearly mirrored by Elias Grubert in the No. 2 slot, but the 5-foot-8 senior's comeback bid fell just short in a 6-4, 4-6, 9-11 loss to Alfred Wallin that saw Grubert erase a 9-5 deficit with four straight points to pull even late in the final set.

The three-set loss was one of two for the Golden Eagles (3-11, 3-1 Horizon League), with Paulo Ramos Martin narrowly falling 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-10 to Riccardo Trione in the No. 5 bout. The Bruins (12-5, 3-0 HL) did their fair share of damage in the middle of lineup behind a Tomas Luis 6-4, 6-1 win over Evzen Holis in the No. 3 clash and an Ian Cruz 6-0, 6-0 victory against Pol Masafret in the No. 4 position.

Gabriel Sardo helped round out Belmont's solo attack with a 7-5, 6-2 triumph over Jaime Paquet in the No. 6 meeting.

The Bruins jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the match after clinching the doubles point thanks to wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 matchups. Marko Illic and Riccardo Trione collected a 6-3 nod over Elias Grubert and Paulo Ramos Martin in the top tangle, while Tomas Luis and Ian Cruz also registered a 6-3 win against Mika Berghaus and Pol Masafret in the No. 3 affair.

The No. 2 get-together of Evzen Holis and Jaime Paquet against Gabriel Sardo and Alfred Wallin did not finish.

Tech will now set its sights on a one-match week, traveling to Southern Indiana on Saturday, Apr. 1 for the first of two straight contests against the Screaming Eagles. First serve from Evansville is scheduled for 9 a.m. CT.

Photo by Jim Dillon