The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga posted a 5-2 win at Alabama-Hunstville today. Freshman Luke Plaisted and junior Pablo Llebeili both won in singles and doubles action.
UTC started out slow, dropping two doubles matches to lose the opening point. After losing at No. 3, Plaisted and Llebeili evened the doubles with a win at No. 2. Their seven wins in the spring as a doubles tandem lead the team.
Sophomore Simon Bustamante and freshman Jacob Marshall tried to get the point from the top spot, but were turned away by Chargers Dylan Hall and Tim Nutz.
"I was impressed with UAH, as they forced us to step up after losing the doubles point,” stated UTC’s first-year head coach Chuck Merzbacher. “It was a total team effort to get this done today."
Marshall tied things quickly with a win at No.
5. He was up (6-1, 3-1) when Nutz was forced to retire.
UAH got on the board with a win at No. 6, but the Mocs took the last four singles matches. Bustamante won at No. 2, followed by Llebeili’s third win in a row at No. 3. Sophomore Niklas Gerdes clinched the team win with a victory at No. 1, while Plaisted followed with his fourth-straight win at No. 4.
UTC improved to 8-12 overall with today’s victory. The Mocs eight wins are the most since posting 12 in 2013. Up next is a tough trip to ETSU this weekend. Due to the threat of inclement weather, the match has moved to Sunday, April 8, at 10:00 a.m. (E.D.T.) in Johnson City, Tenn.
Chattanooga 5, Alabama-Hunstville 2
04/04/2018 at Huntsville, Ala. (Charger Tennis Facility)
Doubles competition
1. Dylan Hall/Tim Nutz (UAH) def. Simon Bustamante/Jacob Marshall (UTC) 6-4
2. Pablo Llebeili/Luke Plaisted (UTC) def. Elliot Hopson/Rodrigo Palomino (UAH) 6-4
3. James Caddies/Noah Pring (UAH) def. Niklas Gerdes/Cooper Long (UTC) 6-2
Singles competition
1. Niklas Gerdes (UTC) def. Guilherme Coleta (UAH) 6-2, 6-4
2. Simon Bustamante (UTC) def. Rodrigo Palomino (UAH) 6-2, 6-0
3. Pablo Llebeili (UTC) def. Dylan Hall (UAH) 7-5, 6-2
4. Luke Plaisted (UTC) def. Elliot Hopson (UAH) 6-1, 6-7, 6-4
5. Jacob Marshall (UTC) def. Tim Nutz (UAH) 6-1, 3-1, retired
6. James Caddies (UAH) def. Michael Birnbaum (UTC) 6-2, 6-2