The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team hosts the 2018 Southern Conference Tournament this weekend. Both the SoCon men's and women's programs will be in town competing for the chance to represent the league in the NCAA Championships.
"We are looking forward to being at home for the conference tourney," stated UTC head coach Chuck Merzbacher. "We have been on the road more than usual due to the construction of our new courts this year, and we are excited the most important weekend is here in Chattanooga."
Coach Merzbacher was on WTVC-TV's This-N-That show discussing UTC tennis and the SoCon Championships. Click here to see his full interview with host James Howard.
Located on the banks of the Tennessee River at 1096 Lupton Drive in the Rivermont Park, the Champions Club is hosting the SoCon Tournament for the fourth time. The event was last held here in 2016 when ETSU won the men's trophy. This is the seventh time overall the Mocs have hosted the men's tournament.
Admission to the tournament is free each day.
The Mocs enter the tournament as the No.
7 seed with an 8-15 overall mark, the most wins for the program since 2012. UTC was 1-6 in SoCon action and faces second-seeded Mercer in the first round. First serve is set for Friday, April 20, at 10:30 a.m. The Mocs lost to the Bears 6-1 during the regular season on March 13 in Macon, Ga.
"We have seen this Mercer team in the fall at their fall event and in March when we played our conference match," added Merzbacher. "Our doubles looks solid top to bottom and everyone is playing his best tennis. They are the No. 2 seed for a reason, but we are looking forward to playing them."
The men are second in the league with 12 tournament titles, trailing Furman's 14 championships. Chattanooga's last title was the 2000 tournament that was also hosted in the Scenic City.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's tennis team is hosting the 2018 Southern Conference Championships at the Champions Club this weekend.
"The team has worked hard all season for this weekend," stated head coach Chad Camper. "These ladies have faced adversity and have fought hard to earn the wins. We just need to keep fighting and play from the heart."
Located on the banks of the Tennessee River at 1096 Lupton Drive in the Rivermont Park, the Champions Club is hosting the SoCon Tournament for the fourth time. The event was last held there in 2016 when ETSU won the women's title.
This is the sixth time overall UTC has hosted the women's tournament. Admission to the tournament is free.
The Mocs enter the championship with a 9-7 overall record and the No. 4 seed with a 4-3 mark in SoCon play. The Mocs face No. 5 seed Mercer (10-11, 3-4 SoCon) on Friday, April 20, at 1:00 p.m. (E.D.T.).
Chattanooga is 7-1 at home this season, including a 4-3 win over Mercer in the regular season meeting on April 10.
UTC won five of the first seven women's SoCon Tournament titles from 1984 to 1990. The 1990 crown was the last for Chattanooga, who trails Furman (17) and College of Charleston (6) for the most championships in conference history.