The Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team earned its first win over in-state rival ETSU since 2001 behind a thrilling 4-3 victory in Southern Conference action on Friday afternoon at the UTC Tennis Center.
Following the win, Chattanooga improves to 12-4 overall and 2-0 inside SoCon play while snapping a 14-match skid to the rival Bucs. ETSU moves to 7-10 overall and 3-2 in league action after the defeat.
"Obviously, this win is special. ETSU has dominated the SoCon and we have a ton of respect for their program and what they have accomplished," said head coach Chuck Merzbacher.
"But today was our day, and I am so proud of this group.
We are just 10 guys trying to find four points out there. It's a team win and each match we have different guys stepping up," added Merzbacher.
Chattanooga jumped out to a 1-0 lead after claiming wins at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles in thrilling fashion. After Kerim Hyatt and Kristof Kincses evened the doubles matches at 1-1 behind a 6-2 win at No. 2, the top duo of Simon Labbe and Peyton Gatti clinched the team point behind a 6-3 decision.
Cortland Grove gave UTC a 2-0 lead in the match after claiming a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory in the No. 6 hole of singles. ETSU got on the board with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2 before Hyatt posted a 6-3, 6-4 win at the No. 1 slot to give the Mocs a 3-1 lead with three matches remaining in action.
The Bucs pulled within one, 3-2, in the team score following a 6-4, 6-2 win in the No. 4 position to allow for a thrilling finish down the stretch. Gabriel Castillo provided the match-clinching moment for Chattanooga after posting a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 3 and capped off the win on an ace.
Chattanooga returns to action on Sunday, March 26, when it plays host to Southern Conference foe Mercer at the UTC Tennis Center. First serve is set for 11 a.m. ET. Live stats and results will be available on GoMocs.com.
Chattanooga 4, ETSU 3
3/24/2023 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (UTC Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. Dimitri Badra (ETSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Thiago Pernas (ETSU) def. Simon Labbe (UTC) 6-3, 6-3
3. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. Adam Nagoudi (ETSU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Pedro Cressoni (ETSU) def. Peyton Gatti (UTC) 6-4, 6-2
5. Francisco Lamas (ETSU) def. Ryan Mudre (UTC) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
6. Cortland Grove (UTC) def. Juan Lobisano (ETSU) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Simon Labbe/Peyton Gatti (UTC) def. Dimitri Badra/Adam Nagoudi (ETSU) 6-3
2. Kerim Hyatt/Kristof Kincses (UTC) def. Juan Lobisano/Peter Kalocsai (ETSU) 6-2
3. Francisco Lamas/Thiago Pernas (ETSU) def. Ryan Mudre/Jordan McClure (UTC) 6-2