The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s tennis team won its third match in a row with a 6-0 shutout against Murray State this afternoon. Chattanooga (5-7, 1-2 SoCon) battled the both the cold temperatures and a strong opponent, but still managed to blank the Racers.
“I hope that the guys enjoy the win streak,” head coach Carlos Garcia said. “I cherish it and I hope they do too. It’s not easy. Today was a tough day with the temperatures and the wind.”
The original match against Murray State was scheduled for Feb. 9 however due to inclement weather it was pushed back to this afternoon.
“It’s always fun to play Murray State,” Garcia said. “I love our rivalry and it’s nice to get a win on our home courts.”
Due to the chilly temperatures in Chattanooga the match started with singles and was concluded once singles were finished.
UTC jumped to an early lead behind the play of senior Jorge Varon and sophomores Gino Delavalle and John Peacey. They didn’t drop more than two games to any of their opponents. Shortly after was the finish by sophomore Luke Saunders at No. 3 that clinched the match for Chattanooga.
The fight from Murray State came at No. 1 and No. 6. UTC junior Pavels Grigorjevs and freshman Derrick Brown found themselves down a set early but pulled it out with back-to-back wins in their matches.
“The guys were struggling a little bit, but I think they ended up figuring it out,” Garcia said.
With their momentum moving forward, the Mocs will host another conference match at the UTC Tennis Courts against Davidson on March 23.
Chattanooga 6, Murray State 0
Mar 13, 2014 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (UTC Tennis Courts)
Singles competition
1. Pavels Grigorjevs (UTC) def. TAYLOR, Adam (MUR) 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-2
2. Jorge Varon (UTC) def. MCLEAN, Max (MUR) 6-2, 6-0
3. Luke Saunders (UTC) def. MITRIC, Nicholas (MUR) 7-5, 6-3
4. Gino Delavalle (UTC) def. MITRIC, Aleks (MUR) 6-1, 6-0
5. Derrick Brown (UTC) def. KASHYAB, Anjan (MUR) 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-3
6. John Peacey (UTC) def. HESS, David (MUR) 6-1, 6-1