The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team has two matches on the schedule for the upcoming weekend.  The Mocs host Belmont in Chattanooga on Saturday, Feb. 9, before traveling to UNC Asheville on Sunday, Feb. 10. 

The home match against the Bruins is set for a 1:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) start time at the Baylor School indoor courts.  The hope was to play this one at the newly opened UTC Tennis Center, but the current weather forecast for Saturday is not favorable for outdoor play.

"This match is big for us," stated head coach Chuck Merzbacher. "The Belmont program had a tremendous fall.  They have established themselves as a contender for the OVC, and they are an in-state rival. It will take all we have to be in this match, but I think we are ready for this battle."

Live scoring for the Belmont match is available.  Check the men's tennis schedule page on GoMocs.com for a link. 

UTC travels to Asheville, N.C., the following day for a 3:00 p.m. match against the Bulldogs.  That dual takes place at the Asheville Racquet Club Downtown.

Chattanooga is 2-3 on the year, following a pair of home wins last weekend.  UTC swept both North Alabama and Austin Peay at McCallie in its last two outings. 

Belmont brings a 4-3 overall record, but the Bruins are looking to snap a two-match slide.  They have wins over Southern Utah (4-0), Martin Methodist (4-1), Dayton (5-2) and Xavier (6-1).  They lost to Furman (4-3) last week, with other setbacks against Wright State (4-3) and Memphis (6-1).

UTC is 7-6 all-time against Belmont, but has lost the last five in the series.  Chattanooga dropped last year's match 6-1 on Feb. 3, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn.

Asheville is 5-0 overall, including wins against Tusculum (5-2), ECU (4-3), George Mason (6-1), Lenoir-Rhyne (5-2) and Mars Hill (7-0).  The Bulldogs boast the No. 1 ranked doubles tandem in Oli Nolan and Henry Patten. 

"UNCA has had one of the best falls a mid-major can have," added Merzbacher. "Their first doubles team is ranked No. 1 in the nation and won the ITA Fall Championships in Arizona. We saw them this fall at the UTC Steve Baras Invite and we know they are very talented."

Surprisingly, this is the first meeting between these programs.  There was a match scheduled in the 2000 season, but was cancelled. 

Be sure to check back to GoMocs.com for complete results from all of the action.