February 10, 2017

Golden Eagles leave Tennessee for first time this season with a trip to UNC Asheville

The Tennessee Tech tennis team will leave the Volunteer State for the first time this season as the Golden Eagles head to North Carolina for a Saturday battle at UNC Asheville.

Team Stats

Game Statistics	Tennessee Tech	UNC Asheville
Score	6	1

Doubles

PATTEN, Henry / SWINDLER, Josh def. MENA, Eduardo / ESTEBAN, Alberto 7-5
NICOLAS, Guillermo / BERNARDES, Marcos def. MASSIE, James / YOUSIF, Majed 6-3
MILA, Marc / ALFONZO, Jorge def. CULL, Olly / DILLON, Reid 6-4

Singles

PATTEN, Henry def. MENA, Eduardo 6-1 , 7-6
BERNARDES, Marcos def. SWINDLER, Josh 6-3 , 6-1
ESTEBAN, Alberto def. CULL, Olly 6-1 , 7-5
NICOLAS, Guillermo def. YOUSIF, Majed 6-4 , 6-1
MILA, Marc def. DILLON, Reid 6-2 , 6-3
ALFONZO, Jorge def. MASSIE, James 6-2 , 3-6 , 6-4

By Dylan Vazzano, Sports Information Coordinator

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech tennis team will leave the Volunteer State for the first time this season as the Golden Eagles head to North Carolina for a Saturday battle at UNC Asheville. The match is slated to begin at noon CT from the Asheville Racquet Club.

After a 13-day hiatus following a season-opening 4-3 win at Lipscomb, Tech (3-2) jumped back into action with a busy weekend that saw the Golden Eagles play three matches in three days, going 1-2 during the span.

TTU fell 4-2 at Chattanooga on Feb. 3, before bouncing back with a 4-1 nod over Georgia Southern in a Saturday neutral site affair in Chattanooga. The University of Tennessee got the better of the Golden Eagles in Sunday's tilt that put a lid on the active stretch, however junior Eduardo Mena remained perfect in singles play with a three-set win over UT's No. 1, Timo Stodder, to account for Tech's lone point in the match.

Mena's undefeated mark has vaulted him up the No. 66^th ranked singles player in the nation, scooting up 28 spots in the latest Oracle/ITA Collegiate rankings.

Before tangling with Tech, UNC Ashville (3-2) will welcome King University for a Friday afternoon affair as the Bulldogs hope to snap a two-match slide, following back-to-back 5-2 losses to East Carolina and Appalachian State. Sophomore Henry Patten is a perfect 5-0 in singles play with all five victories occurring out of the No. 1 spot.

Patten also joins sophomore Olly Cull and seniors Dillon Reid and Josh Swindler atop the club's doubles rankings with all three Bulldogs posting a team-best 4-1 mark.

Saturday will mark the sixth straight year the two squads will lock up, the only six meetings in the all-time series. The Golden Eagles captured the first one with a 4-3 win in 2012, but Asheville has responded with a four-match win streak, including a narrow 4-3 edge in last year's get together in the Tar Heel State.

Photo by Thomas Corhern