By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off its first win of the spring, the Tennessee Tech tennis team will look toward a busy weekend that features two road matches in less than a 48-hour period. The Golden Eagles will play their fourth-straight school from the state of Tennessee behind a Friday, Jan. 31 contest at Chattanooga before the purple and gold scoot down to Starkville for a Feb. 2 meeting at No. 9 Mississippi State.
Tech's Friday tangle with the Mocs is slated to start at 5 p.m. CT, while Sunday's battle with the Bulldogs is set for a 1 p.m. CT beginning.
A look at Tennessee Tech
Following a three-match season-opening slide that saw the Golden Eagles (1-3) fall to a trio of "Power 4" foes, Tech picked up its first victory of the year thanks to a 6-1 triumph against Austin Peay on Friday in Bowling Green, Ky. TTU's dominant showing over its former OVC rival featured five singles nods as well as capturing the tilt's doubles point.
Alex Alvarez, Murilo Burckhardt, Darek Kuczynski, Elia Lauper and Ricard Garavi Yepez all notched their first solo nods of the spring, while Alvarez, Burckhardt, Oliver Dao and Davids Spaks all picked up tandem triumphs in the win over the Govs.
Tech's match at No. 9 Mississippi State will continue an early season of trend of playing "Power 4" opponents as well as nationally ranked foes. The purple and gold have already clashed with No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 13 Tennessee and Vanderbilt this year.
A look at Chattanooga
The Mocs (0-4) are in search of their first win of the season after kickstarting 2025 with a quartet of losses, which includes a pair of defeats at then No. 11 Mississippi State to go along with losses at Georgia State and at home to South Carolina State.
The Mocs have produced just one point this spring behind a Ryan Mudre singles win out of the No. 3 spot in Chattanooga's contest at Georgia State. Kristof Kincses and Walker Valentine have teamed up for the club's lone doubles win this season.
The Mocs are coming off a 10-15 season in 2024 with a 3-4 Southern Conference mark.
A look at No. 9 Mississippi State
Before hosting the purple and gold, the Bulldogs (6-1) will welcome Tulane to town for a match on Sunday at 9 a.m. Mississippi State is coming off its first loss of the season after falling 4-1 to No. 22 NC State on Jan. 26.
Six different Bulldogs possess undefeated singles records, led by Niccolo Baroni and Michal Novansky's 5-0 marks. Petar Jovanovic has frequented the No. 1 solo spot the most this season for MSU and has a 4-1 account in that position. Jovanovic has also teamed up with Benito Sanchez Martinez to form the team's top doubles partnership behind a 4-1 ledger, all out of the No. 1 slot.
Mississippi State went 19-8 in 2024 with an 9-3 SEC record. The Bulldogs knocked off Alabama State and Middle Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament before being upended by No. 1 Ohio State in the Round of 16.
Inside the series
Tech's tussle with Chattanooga will represent the 62nd meeting in the all-time series. The Mocs have a 34-27 advantage in the set, but the Golden Eagles have captured five straight and seven of the last eight matchups, which includes a 4-3 victory in the 2022 home opener in the last contest between the in-state schools.
Mississippi State holds an 8-1 edge in the all-time series with Tech. The Bulldogs seized a 7-0 nod on Feb. 25, 2023 in the last get-together between the two clubs.
Photo by Jim Dillon
