Golden Eagles bested by Drake in season opener
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Tennessee Tech tennis team opened up its 2019 spring season with a 6-1 loss at Drake University in the first of three straight contests in Des Moines to unwrap the year.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
DES MOINES, Iowa – The Tennessee Tech tennis team opened up its 2019 spring season with a 6-1 loss at Drake University in the first of three straight contests in Des Moines to unwrap the year.
Senior Wenceslao Albin started strong in his first singles clash of the spring, securing a straight-set, 6-3, 6-2 win over Calum MacGeoch in the No. 4 position. Albin and fellow returner Riku Kubota were also responsible for Tech's lone win in doubles play with a 7-5 victory over Tom Hands and Bayo Phillips in the No. 2 battle.
Four Golden Eagles made their dual-match debuts in singles play, with freshmen Rafael Tosetto, Elias Grubert and Carlos Vicente, as well as junior Fanis Kontopoulos all in action. Tosetto fell in the top spot with a 6-4, 6-1 loss to Vinny Gillespie.
Kontopolous dropped his first spring matchup as a Golden Eagle with a 6-1, 6-4 defeat at the hands of Barny Thorold in the No. 2 slot. Grubert was tripped up 6-1, 6-2 by Ben Clark in the No. 5 spot, while Vicente rounded out TTU's newcomer performances with a narrow 7-6, 7-5 loss to Finley Hall in the No. 6 match.
Riku Kubota completed Tech's singles showing with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat by Tom Hands in the No. 3 slot.
Drake (2-0) opened up the match by clinching the doubles point with wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 affairs. The bulldog tandem of Vinny Gillespie and Barny Thorold knocked off Rafael Tosetto and Gonzalo Garcia 6-2 in the top spot, while Calum MacGeoch and Ben Clark tripped up Elias Grubert and Fanis Kontopoulos 7-6 in the No. 3 position.
The Golden Eagles (0-1) continue their three-day stay in Des Moines with a Sunday match against Northern Illinois. The contest is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
