The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team posted a 4-3 win in a windy battle against Presbyterian at the UTC Tennis Center today. The Mocs moved to 5-6 overall while the Blue Hose saw its record evened at 4-4.
Presbyterian came out strong with a pair of quick wins in doubles action. Javier Matos and Denim Yadav posted a 6-2 win over the Mocs
Peyton Gatti and
Jaxon Lamb at No. 1. They clinched the point with David Mamalat and Marco Foglieni's 6-3 victory against UTC's
Jakub Jupa and
Kristof Kincses at No. 2.
The Mocs stormed back in singles, taking the first three matches. Sophomore
Cortland Grove was first off at No. 4 with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Foglieni. Jupa followed that with his fifth-straight win, a 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Evgenios Vasilakis at No. 2. Junior
Ryan Mudre put UTC up 3-1 with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Yadav at No. 3.
"Super proud of the guys rebounding after the doubles point," stated UTC head coach
Chuck Merzbacher. "They really showed toughness in every singles match. We are definitely starting to grow and progress."
Presbyterian bounced back with a pair of wins to tie the score at 3-3. That left senior
Gabriel Castillo on the court with the deciding against Matos match at No. 1. Castillo had already won an exciting tiebreaker in the first set, taking it 9-7 after trailing 3-0. Matos won the second set 6-2, but Castillo used a pair of breaks in the third to serve out the win (7-6 (7), 2-6, 6-2).
"The deciding point at #1 singles was played by both players at such a high level," added Merzbacher. "Gabe really dictated the points in final set and took the match. He's worked hard, and he's been a strong leader for us."
Up next for the Mocs is a trip to Jacksonville State tomorrow. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m. with a link to live scoring available on GoMocs.com. UTC's next home match is Friday, March 1, against Austin Peay at 2:00 p.m.
Chattanooga 4, Presbyterian 3
Doubles competition
1. MATOS, Javier/YADAV, Denim (PC) def.
Peyton Gatti/
Jaxon Lamb (UTC) 6-2
2. MAMALAT, David/FOGLIENI, Marco (PC) def.
Jakub Jupa/
Kristof Kincses (UTC) 6-3
3.
Ryan Mudre/
Walker Valentine (UTC) vs. VASILAKIS, Evgenios/CARDOSO, Pedro (PC) 4-5, unfinished
Singles competition
1.
Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. MATOS, Javier (PC) 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-2
2.
Jakub Jupa (UTC) def. VASILAKIS, Evgenios (PC) 6-2, 6-3
3.
Ryan Mudre (UTC) def. YADAV, Denim (PC) 6-3, 6-2
4.
Cortland Grove (UTC) def. FOGLIENI, Marco (PC) 6-1, 6-1
5. MAMALAT, David (PC) def.
Kristof Kincses (UTC) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. CARDOSO, Pedro (PC) def.
Walker Valentine (UTC) 6-3, 7-5
Match Notes:
Presbyterian 4-4
Chattanooga 5-6
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (4,2,3,6,5,1)
UTC Tennis Center
