The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team scored a 6-1 win over Jacksonville State at the UTC Tennis Center today.  The Mocs improved to 9-6 overall while JSU dropped to 7-3. 

The doubles point was just about as tight as it could be, with each match needing extra games.  Junior Niklas Gerdes and freshman Tomas Rodriguez struck first with a 7-5 win over Jordi Blanchard and Guillermo Agost at No. 2.  They actually trailed 3-0 before making a big comeback. 

JSU evened it up with a win at No. 1, but the Mocs took the point at No. 3.  Senior Pablo Llebeili and sophomore Luke Plaisted won in a tiebreaker over Joaquin Vallejo and Alexander Vishnevskiy [7-6 (4)]. 

"The doubles point was huge," said head coach Chuck Merzbacher.  "I was very proud of Luke coming in at No. 3 doubles with Pablo, and getting it done.  In the singles, all matches were close and we had played well and smart when needed."

It was Plaisted's first action since playing doubles at Alabama on Jan. 19.  Gerdes and Rodriguez won for the seventh time in a row.  They are 11-1 at No. 2 on the year. 

The Mocs kept it going in single, winning four of the six first sets.  Gerdes was first off at No. 1.  JSU cut the lead to 2-1 with a win at No. 5.  Sophomore Jacob Marshall posted a three-set comeback win at No. 6, while freshman Kerim Hyatt clinched the win at No. 3.  Rodriguez and junior Simon Bustamante also scored wins in singles action. 

"This was a big win for the team," added Merzbacher. "I really have a lot respect this Jacksonville State team. They have been a program on the rise as you can tell by their record."

The Mocs' nine wins are the most for the program since going 12-9 in 2013.  Up next for UTC is a trip to the College of Charleston on March 14. 

Chattanooga 6, Jacksonville State 1
03/10/2019 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (UTC Tennis Courts)
Singles competition
1. Niklas Gerdes (UTC) def. KAPLJA, Aljaz (JSUM) 6-2, 6-2
2. Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. VALLEJO, Joaquin (JSUM) 6-4, 7-6 (8-6)
3. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. AGOST, Guillermo (JSUM) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
4. Simon Bustamante (UTC) def. VISHNEVSKIY, Alexand (JSUM) 6-2, 7-5
5. LIZARRAGA, Sergio (JSUM) def. Pablo Llebeili (UTC) 6-1, 7-6 (7-4)
6. Jacob Marshall (UTC) def. BLANCHAR, Jordi (JSUM) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. KAPLJA, Aljaz/LIZARRAGA, Sergio (JSUM) def. Simon Bustamante/Kerim Hyatt (UTC) 7-5
2. Niklas Gerdes/Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. AGOST, Guillermo/BLANCHAR, Jordi (JSUM) 7-5
3. Pablo Llebeili/Luke Plaisted (UTC) def. VALLEJO, Joaquin/VISHNEVSKIY, Alexand (JSUM) 7-6 (7-4)

Match Notes
Jacksonville State 7-3
Chattanooga 9-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,5,6,3,4,2)