CHATTANOOGA (March 7, 2026) – For the ninth-straight time, the Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team opens Southern Conference play with a victory as the squad controlled a 6-1 decision over The Citadel on Saturday morning at the UTC Tennis Center on campus.

"I was super proud of the doubles point as they [The Citadel] play very strong in doubles," said head coach Chuck Merzbacher. "In singles, the guys were laser-focused across the board and this was a great start to conference play."

Match Notes
- Chattanooga improves to 5-6 overall and 1-0 in SoCon play after today's victory... ninth-straight SoCon opening victory... streak dates back to 2013.
- Chattanooga has now won three of its last four matches... head coach Chuck Merzbacher now sits on win No. 99 during his Chattanooga tenure.
 
Match Recap
Chattanooga's Jaxon Lamb and Carter Ramthun opened with a 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles against Tucker Hendrix and Noah Van Dyke before a back-and-forth battle broke out on courts No. 2 and No. 3. Julian Franzmann and Kristof Kincses earned a 7-6 (5) tiebreaker triumph at No. 1 before UTC completed the sweep after Sebastian Johnson and Jakub Jupa edged out Reece Beckendorf and Anthony Osipov in another tiebreak, 7-6 (6), at No. 3.
 
In singles play, Chattanooga extended its lead when TJ Ryerson started things with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Reece Beckendorf at No. 5, followed by Martin Delnido's 6-1, 6-0 victory against Nick Stroumpis at No. 3. Jupa clinched the match for Chattanooga with a straight-set win, 6-1, 6-2, over Van Dyke at No. 1.
 
Lamb added another point for Chattanooga with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Graham Hardin at No. 6. Franzmann secured a 6-1, 7-5 victory against Brady Gober at No. 2 while The Citadel's lone singles win came from Bagwell, who defeated Kincses 6-3, 7-5 at No. 4 singles.
 
Match Results
Chattanooga 6, The Citadel 1
(UTC Tennis Center – Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Doubles 
1. Julian Franzmann/Kristof Kincses (UTC) def. Ted Bagwell/Brady Gober (CIT) 7-6(5) 
2. Jaxon Lamb/Carter Ramthun (UTC) def. Tucker Hendrix/Noah Van Dyke (CIT) 6-3 
3. Sebastian Johnson/Jakub Jupa (UTC) def. Reece Beckendorf/Anthony Osipov (CIT) 7-6(6) 

Singles 
1. Jakub Jupa (UTC) def. Noah Van Dyke (CIT) – 6-1, 6-2 
2. Julian Franzmann (UTC) def. Brady Gober (CIT) – 6-1, 7-5 
3. Martin Delnido (UTC) def. Nick Stroumpis (CIT) – 6-1, 6-0 
4. Ted Bagwell (CIT) def. Kristof Kincses (UTC) – 6-3, 7-5 
5. TJ Ryerson (UTC) def. Reece Beckendorf (CIT) – 6-0, 6-1 
6. Jaxon Lamb (UTC) def. Graham Hardin (CIT) – 6-1, 6-3

Records
Chattanooga 5-6, 1-0 SoCon
The Citadel 2-14, 0-3 SoCon

Match Info
Order of finish: Singles (5, 3, 1, 6, 2, 4) – Doubles (2, 1, 3)
Duration: 2:39
Attendance: 31

Up Next
Chattanooga hosts Jacksonville State in a non-conference tilt on Tuesday (March 10) at the UTC Tennis Center with first service slated for a 1 p.m. (ET) start. All match coverage links, when available, times, locations and more can be found on the schedule page at GoMocs.com.

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.