CHATTANOOGA (April 18, 2024) – The No. 5 seed Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team earned its third-straight trip to the Southern Conference Tournament semifinal round after posting a 4-0 shutout victory over No. 4 Mercer in the quarterfinal stage on Thursday afternoon at Champions Club in Chattanooga.
Following the win, Chattanooga improves to 10-14 overall and appears in the semifinal round for the third-straight season. Mercer concludes the season at 7-13 following the tournament defeat.
UTC will now take on top-seeded No. 1 ETSU, who looks for its ninth-straight SoCon Tournament title, tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Mocs will look to avenge last year's 4-0 defeat to the Bucs in the title match.
"Huge win for the boys," said head coach
Chuck Merzbacher after the match. "It was the best doubles point of the year. Super hard fought in singles - classic collegiate battle today!"
Chattanooga was in complete control in doubles play at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions as the two spots posted similar 6-2 victories.
Ryan Mudre and
Jaxon Lamb notched the win in the No. 3 hole shortly before
Cortland Grove and
Jordan McClure clinch the point at No. 2.
Recently named to the All-SoCon Second Team in singles,
Gabriel Castillo kicked things off in singles action with a 6-0, 6-4 win at No. 2 before Grove followed with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 3 to give UTC a 3-0 lead in the match. It was Mudre on No. 4 that sealed the deal and the shutout win, claiming a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 comeback win to send the Mocs to the semifinal stages.
Tournament action continues at the local Champions Club facility tomorrow and Saturday as a league champion will eventually be crowned. With potential rain and schedule changes, please check on the tournament central location
HERE for the most up-to-date information.
Chattanooga 4, Mercer 0
4/18/2024 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (Champions Club)
Singles competition
1. Nemanja Stefanovic (MER) vs.
Jakub Jupa (UTC) 6-4, 1-6, 4-1, unfinished
2.
Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. Lucas Dini (MER) 6-0, 6-4
3.
Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Marceau Fouilhoux (MER) 6-2, 6-2
4.
Ryan Mudre (UTC) def. Samuel Barrow (MER) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. Samuel Macleod (MER) vs.
Kristof Kincses (UTC) 6-3, 4-6, 0-2, unfinished
6. Victor Putter (MER) vs.
Peyton Gatti (UTC) 6-2, 5-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Lucas Dini/Andrew Branicki (MER) vs.
Jakub Jupa/
Peyton Gatti (UTC) 4-5, unfinished
2.
Cortland Grove/
Jordan McClure (UTC) def. Nemanja Stefanovic/Marceau Fouilhoux (MER) 6-2
3.
Ryan Mudre/
Jaxon Lamb (UTC) def. Samuel Barrow/Samuel Macleod (MER) 6-2
Match Notes
Chattanooga 10-14
Mercer 7-13
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,3,4)
2024 Southern Conference Championships
#4 Mercer vs. #5 Chattanooga - Men's Quarterfinals
Tournament action continues at the local Champions Club facility tomorrow and Saturday as a league champion will eventually be crowned. With potential rain and schedule changes, please check on the tournament central location
HERE for the most up-to-date information.
FOLLOW CHATTANOOGA MEN'S TENNIS
Follow @GoMocsMTennis on Twitter & @GoMocsMTEN on Instagram for the most up-to-date information and news regarding Chattanooga men's tennis.
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.
