Golden Eagles knock off Tennessee State in conference home opener
The Tennessee Tech tennis team’s conference home opener swung in favor of the purple and gold, as the Golden Eagles put together a dominating performance on the way to a 6-1 victory over Tennessee State Saturday afternoon at Tech Tennis Courts.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team's conference home opener swung in favor of the purple and gold, as the Golden Eagles put together a dominating performance on the way to a 6-1 victory over Tennessee State Saturday afternoon at Tech Tennis Courts.
TTU's impressive showing marked the club's third consecutive win to open Horizon League play, outscoring its opponents 19-2 in the trio of triumphs. Saturday's stellar showcase featured a similar script to start the match, with the Golden Eagles (3-10, 3-0 HL) securing the doubles point for the third straight affair.
The Tech tandem of Evzen Holis and Jaime Paquet powered past Taj Hibbert and Daniel Carabllo with a 6-4 decision in the No. 2 spot, while Mika Berghaus and Pol Masafret notched a 6-1 nod over Jonasz Dziopak and Nicholas Adamec in the No. 3 position to help pick up the point. The top matchup pitting Elias Grubert and Paulo Ramos Martin against Pierre Copin and Nil Moinet did not finish with Grubert and Ramos Martin leading 5-4 at the time it was called.
TTU parlayed its strong doubles play into similar singles results over the Tigers (4-12, 0-2 HL), with the purple and gold winning five of six solo showdowns. Berghaus, Grubert and Holis took care of business at the top of the lineup behind a Berghaus 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory over Moinet in the top tangle, a Grubert 5-7, 6-3, 10-5 win against Dziopak in the No. 2 bout and a Holis 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 nod over Caraballo in the No. 3 get-together.
TSU claimed its only point thanks to a Taj Hibbert 7-5, 6-1 win against Pol Masafret in the No. 4 meeting, but the Golden Eagles soared at the bottom of the lineup with victories by Paulo Ramos Martin and Jaime Paquet. Ramos Martin took home a 6-2, 6-4 decision against Diego Britt-Alvarez in the No. 5 slot and Paquet notched a 6-4, 6-3 triumph over Pierre Copin in the No. 6 clash.
The Golden Eagles will now immediately turn their attention to another in-state battle, as Belmont comes to Cookeville for a Sunday, Mar. 26 meeting at Tech Tennis Courts. First serve with the Bruins is at 2 p.m. CT and admission is free of charge.
Now both members of the Horizon League, Sunday's match with Belmont refreshes a rivalry that has almost always been played with a lot at stake. Since 2018, Tech and the Bruins have met each and every year in the finals of the OVC Tournament (excluding 2020) and they are the only two schools to capture the OVC's regular-season championship since 2016 (excluding 2020). The two squads were picked No. 1 (Belmont) and No. 2 (Tech) respectively in the Horizon League South Division 2023 Preseason Poll.
Photo by Thomas Corhern
