The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team scored a 5-2 win at The Citadel in its Southern Conference opener today.  The Mocs swept the doubles point before taking four of six singles to improve to 10-7 overall and 1-0 in league duals.

Junior Niklas Gerdes and freshman Tomas Rodriguez opened with a 6-0 win over Noah Nawabi and Phillip Quinn at No. 2.  They improved to 12-2 in the spring. 

Junior Simon Bustamante and freshman Kerim Hyatt clinched the point with a 6-4 win over Willem van Zyl and Gavin Stewart at No. 1.  They improved to 10-5 in the top spot in the spring. 

Senior Pablo Llebeili and sophomore Luke Plaisted completed the sweep with a 6-3 win over Roy Hobson and Josiah Schainblatt at No. 3, moving to 2-2 as a tandem. 

"It was a hard fought win today at The Citadel," stated UTC head coach Chuck Merzbacher.  "I thought the team handled themselves very well in a bunch of close matches. The doubles point was solid."

The Citadel (8-19, 0-3 SoCon) actually tied it up at 1-1 with a win at No. 5.  That was short lived as the Mocs took the next four singles matches.  Gerdes and Rodriguez won in straight sets, followed by a three-setter from Bustamante that clinched the win.  Hyatt also won in three sets at No. 3.

That was the 10^th win in a row for Rodriguez, who is now 13-4 at No. 2.  Gerdes improved to 12-5 while Bustamante moved to 8-7 and Hyatt 9-8. 

"At one point in the match the dual did get very close," added Merzbacher.  "Simon Bustamante showed great leadership and gained control of the match to clinch the win. This was an important start to our SoCon season!"

Up next for the Mocs are four-straight home matches, all in league play.  UTC next hosts Furman on March 23, at 1:00 p.m. (E.D.T.) at the UTC Tennis Center.

Chattanooga 5, The Citadel 2
03/17/19 at Charleston, S.C. (Jack Adams Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Niklas Gerdes (UTC) def. Roy Hobson (CIT) 6-4, 6-2
2. Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. Jack Pyritz (CIT) 6-1, 6-1
3. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. Willem van Zyl (CIT) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4
4. Simon Bustamante (UTC) def. Noah Nawabi (CIT) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Gavin Stewart (CIT) def. Pablo Llebeili (UTC) 7-6 (9-7), 6-0
6. Phillip Quinn (CIT) def. Jacob Marshall (UTC) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Kerim Hyatt/Simon Bustamante (UTC) def. Willem van Zyl/Gavin Stewart (CIT) 6-4
2. Niklas Gerdes/Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. Noah Nawabi/Phillip Quinn (CIT) 6-0
3. Pablo Llebeili/Luke Plaisted (UTC) def. Roy Hobson/Josiah Schainblatt (CIT) 6-3

Match Notes
Chattanooga 10-7, 1-0 SoCon
The Citadel 8-19, 0-3 SoCon
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (5,1,2,4,6,3)
A-27