Tech tennis makes history behind seven conference postseason honors, Grubert named OVC Player of the Year
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – History highlighted the way for the Tennessee Tech tennis team, as the Golden Eagles collected a program-record seven postseason awards when the conference announced its yearly honors Thursday afternoon.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – History highlighted the way for the Tennessee Tech tennis team, as the Golden Eagles collected a program-record seven postseason awards when the conference announced its yearly honors Thursday afternoon.
Elias Grubert headlined the haul behind being named the OVC Player of the Year, the 14th time Tech has taken home the honor and first since current TTU associate head coach Eduardo Mena captured the coveted accolade in 2017. Overall, Grubert becomes the 11th different Golden Eagle be named the conference's Player of the Year, with Mena (2016-17), Chris Hedman (1989-90) and Juan Escudero (1986-87) each hoisting the award twice.
Grubert was also one of a league-high tying five All-OVC selections for the purple and gold, marking the second-consecutive year in which Tech picked up five All-OVC honors to tie for the second-most in a single-season in school history. Grubert joined Mika Berghaus and Rafael Tosetto on the All-OVC first-team list, while Evzen Holis and Carlos Vicente found themselves on the All-OVC second-team catalog to round out TTU's impressive individual showing.
Berghaus and Grubert also teamed up to secure a spot on the inaugural All-OVC doubles team, one of four duos across the conference to notch the league's newest honor. Playing exclusively in the top position, the TTU tandem put together a 2-1 record in OVC play, and on Mar. 8, the pair was recognized as the conference's Men's Tennis Doubles Team of the Week after a 2-0 showing against UNCG and Radford.
Elias Grubert (pictured above, middle) notches his third All-OVC accolade and second first-team honor on the heels of an unblemished 4-0 singles account during league action, playing solely in the No. 1 slot in the TTU lineup. Overall, the Parana, Argentina product's seven solo wins are tied with Mika Berghaus for the most on the Golden Eagle squad.
Berghaus (pictured above, left), who appeared in a team-high 15 times in the No. 2 singles spot, picks up his first All-OVC selection with a strong showing during the conference campaign. Playing all four bouts in the No. 2 position, the Cologne, Germany native put together a 3-1 showing and deadlocked Grubert for the most overall solo victories this spring.
Rafael Tosetto (pictured above, right) caps off his Tech tenure with his third-straight All-OVC first-team honor, becoming only the third Golden Eagle to ever roll off three straight first-team accolades since the conference made the distinction between All-OVC first and second team prior to the 2005 season. The Jacarei, Brazil product joins Eduardo Mena (2016-18) and TTU Sports Hall of Famer Borja Zarco (2006-08) as the trio of Golden Eagles to accomplish the feat.
Tosetto went an unblemished 3-0 during conference play and provided Tech with a powerful punch toward the back of the lineup, playing exclusively in the No. 4 and No. 5 positions and ended the regular season with a 4-1 singles record over his last five matches.
Evzen Holis' (pictured right) second-consecutive All-OVC second-team award comes on the heels of a 3-1 OVC singles mark, playing his quartet of league contests in the No. 3 and No. 4 slots.
Carlos Vicente (pictured left) ties a ribbon on his illustrious Tennessee Tech career with his third All-OVC selection in a row behind this year's All-OVC second-team pick. The Valencia, Spain native racked up a 3-1 conference account, and overall, had a winning singles record in the No. 3 position this spring. Vicente also bested the purple and gold with a 3-1 doubles mark during OVC action.
Searching for its fifth OVC Tournament title in the last six seasons, Tech enters the conference tourney as the No. 2 seed and will hook up with No. 3 Tennessee State in Saturday's semifinal in Evansville, Ind. at 2 p.m. CT. The championship match is set for Sunday, May 1, also at 2 p.m.
Photos by Thomas Corhern
