Golden Eagle tennis travels to Vanderbilt to open 2026 spring season
The time has arrived for the Tennessee Tech tennis team to unwrap its 2026 spring slate as the Golden Eagles will make the quick trip over to Music City for a Wednesday evening matchup with Vanderbilt in the season opener.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Athletics Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The time has arrived for the Tennessee Tech tennis team to unwrap its 2026 spring slate as the Golden Eagles will make the quick trip over to Music City for a Wednesday evening matchup with Vanderbilt in the season opener. First serve with the Commodores from the Lummis Family Tennis Center in Nashville is set for 5 p.m. CT.
A look at Tennessee Tech
Tech heads into the season opener with a new face patrolling the sidelines with the purple and gold now led by head coach Mark Klysner. The first-year leader of the Golden Eagles spent the last 12 campaigns as the head coach of Illinois State where became the program's all-time winningest coach behind 119 victories during his duration in Normal.
Klysner's club features a wealth of returning talent, highlighted by seven players who have already suited up in the purple and gold. Alex Alvarez is a former All-Horizon League award recipient, who teamed up with Davids Spaks this past fall to achieve stellar success in the doubles department. The pair took home a pair of championships during the 2025 autumn circuit.
From a singles perspective, Murilo Burckhardt and Ricard Garavi Yepez are both back in the mix following a 2025 spring that saw each of them roll out winning Horizon League records. Oliver Dao is back for another season at Tech after the Bratislava, Slovakia native capped off his fall campaign with a Singles Draw A championship in the Steve Baras Invite in Chattanooga.
Dao was one of five Golden Eagles to take home a solo crown in the final event of the fall, with Spaks, Burkhardt, Garavi Yepez and Elyad Oshnaive all taking home consolation crowns as well. Lucas Bitzer rounds out TTU's returning prowess behind a strong first two years in Cookeville, which includes a 4-1 Horizon League singles mark as a freshman in 2023.
The Golden Eagles also welcome three newcomers into the fold with the addition of freshmen Christian Capuccini, Diego Munoz and Linus Rohlin.
Tech was recently picked to finish second in the South Division in the Horizon League Men's Tennis Preseason Poll, announced on Jan. 9.
A look at Vanderbilt
The Commodores will host Tech in the club's second match of 2026 as Vandy will first greet fellow Horizon League foe Tennessee State Wednesday morning. The Dores fell short of an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2024 with a 12-14 overall record and a 4-10 mark in the SEC.
This year's version of Vanderbilt features the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the Tennis Recruiting Network rankings. The Commodores are composed of six underclassmen heading into the spring, which includes sophomore Pablo Martinez Gomez, who earned a co-champion singles title in the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships. Vandy also welcomes back Danil Panarin, who finished second on the team with 10 singles victories in 2025, playing exclusively in the top two slots in the solo lineup.
The Commodores were picked to finish in 10th in the 15-team Southeastern Conference in the SEC Men's Tennis Preseason Coaches' Rankings.
Inside the series
Wednesday's season opener will mark the 25th meeting in the all-time series. Vanderbilt has the upper hand with a 20-4 edge. The Dores won last year's get-together thanks to a 7-0 triumph in Nashville.
Photo | Jim Dillon
