Box Score The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team scored a big 7-0 win over Belmont today. It was the first shutout of a Division I opponent for the Mocs since defeating Murray State 7-0 on Feb. 22, 2008. UTC improves to 3-6 on the year while the Bruins dropped to 0-2.
Coupled with a 5-2 win over Jacksonville State on Sunday, Chattanooga has now posted back-to-back wins for the first time in almost three years. The last time UTC won two in a row was a pair of 4-3 victories over Wofford and Georgia Southern on April 1 and 6 in 2008.
The Mocs took the doubles point for the second match in a row. Sophomore William Disterdick (Hixson, Tenn.) and freshman Trent Cobb (Melbourne, Australia) cruised to an 8-1 win over Jonathan Murrell and Christopher Bates at No. 3. The Mocs duo is now 4-1 in spring doubles action.
Sophomores Jackson Tresnan (Apopka, Fla.) and Stephen Crofford (Franklin, Tenn.) fell to Bruno Silva and Felipe Cirne Lima 8-2 at No. 2, setting up the deciding match at No. 1.
Chattanooga sophomores Roberto Vieira (Bedfordview, South Africa) and Chris Smith (Johnson City, Tenn.) battled Rodrigo Amaral and Rafael Matos to a stalemate at 8-8, forcing a tiebreaker. The Mocs dominated the final frame, jumping out to a 6-1 lead before winning 7-3.
"It is always nice to get the doubles point," stated head coach Carlos Garcia, who won his 99th men's tennis match at UTC today. "That tiebreaker at No. 1 doubles set the tone for the singles matches and gave us a lot of momentum."
Disterdick put UTC up 2-0 with a lightning-quick 6-0, 6-1 win over Bates at No. 6. Smith followed that up with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Silva at No. 3.
Tresnan continued his impressive spring season with his fifth-straight singles win. He posted a 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 win over Lima to improve to 5-0 at No. 4. Vieira snapped a four-match slide with his 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over Amaral at No. 1.
Cobb posted a come-from-behind 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Matos for his second win in a row at No. 2. Senior Rick van de Bovenkamp (Oud-Beyerland, The Netherlands) outlasted Murrell 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 in the final match at No. 5.
"Our top four did a good job today," added Garcia. "We took away their strengths because their top guys can play with anybody. It was also nice to see Roberto get out of his slump and get some confidence. This was a big win for us today."
The Mocs are back in action on Thursday, March 3 when they host Lee University. Match time against the Flames is set for 2:30 p.m. (E.S.T.) on the UTC Tennis Courts. Live scoring will be available for the match on GoMocs.com.
Chattanooga 7, Belmont 0
Feb 25, 2011 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (UTC Tennis Courts)
Doubles competition
1. Roberto Vieira-Chris Smith (UTC) def. Rodrigo Amaral-Rafael Matos (BELM) - 9-8 (7-3)
2. Bruno Silva-Felipe Cirne Lima (BELM) def. Jackson Tresnan-Stephen Crofford (UTC) - 8-2
3. William Disterdick-Trent Cobb (UTC) def. Jonathan Murrell-Christopher Bates (BELM) - 8-1
Singles competition
1. Roberto Vieira (UTC) def. Rodrigo Amaral (BELM) - 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
2. Trent Cobb (UTC) def. Rafael Matos (BELM) - 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
3. Chris Smith (UTC) def. Bruno Silva (BELM) - 6-4, 6-2
4. Jackson Tresnan (UTC) def. Felipe Cirne Lima (BELM) - 6-3, 5-5, 7-5
5. R. van de Bovenkamp (UTC) def. Jonathan Murrell (BELM) - 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10-9)
6. William Disterdick (UTC) def. Christopher Bates (BELM) - 6-0, 6-1
