By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The beginning of 2024 has already brought the beginning of the Tennessee Tech tennis spring season, as the Golden Eagles will officially unwrap their campaign with a Saturday afternoon meeting at No. 6 Tennessee. First serve with the Vols from the Goodfriend Tennis Center in Knoxville is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
A live stream of the match will be available. Click here to watch. Live stats will also be available. Click here to view.
A look at Tennessee Tech
Tech's tangle with UT is the first of a season-opening four-match road swing that will feature three contests with SEC opponents (at Vanderbilt on Jan. 21 & at Alabama on Feb. 3). Saturday's get-together with the Volunteers is also the first of five affairs with "Power 5" competition, with the purple and gold also scheduled to host Texas Tech on Mar. 2 and connect with Arkansas in Knoxville on Mar. 3.
The Golden Eagles jump into the 2024 campaign after having learned of their preseason ranking behind Thursday's release of the Horizon League Men's Tennis Preseason Poll. Tech was chosen to finish tied for second with Tennessee State in the conference's South Division. Belmont, the defending Horizon League Tournament champion was picked to win the south, while Cleveland State is the favorite to claim the five-team North Division.
Tech is coming off a successful first spring in the Horizon League after finishing with a 7-2 league ledger in 2023 that netted the purple and gold with a second-place South Division standing. TTU turned it on the in the conference tournament behind a pair of postseason wins that put the purple and gold in the championship clash. The Golden Eagles bested Northern Kentucky in the quarterfinals, before knocking off the north top seed Cleveland State in the semis to advance to the program's seventh-consecutive conference tournament title match.
A new-look and youthful squad helps make up the 2024 edition of the Golden Eagles, with sophomore Paulo Ramos Martin serving as the lone returner from last year's club. Alex Alvarez, Lucas Bitzer, Murilo Burckhardt and Davids Spaks join the purple and gold as freshmen, while Lucas Krause comes to Cookeville as a junior transfer from Longwood and Darek Kuczynski joins the Tech ranks as a junior transfer from Siena.
A look at No. 6 Tennessee
Before hosting the Golden Eagles, Tennessee (1-0) will welcome Penn to town for a Saturday 10 a.m. CT first serve in Knoxville. The sixth-ranked Vols already opened up their season in impressive fashion thanks to a convincing 7-0 triumph over Furman on Friday afternoon. No. 20 Johannus Monday, Younes Lalami, No. 33 Shunsuke Mistui, Chris Li, Filip Pieczonka and Filip Apltauer all registered straight-set singles victories in the UT's nod.
The Vols are coming off their fourth consecutive Super Regional appearance in 2023, putting together a 23-8 overall record in the process.
Inside the series
In a set that dates all the way back to 1935, Saturday's season opener will mark the 20th meeting in the all-time series. Tennessee has captured the previous 19 tilts, all of which have taken place in Knoxville.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
