The Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to Southern Conference-leading Samford on a wild and wet Friday afternoon at both the UTC Tennis Center and Strang-Voges Tennis Center at McCallie.
Yes, you read that right. The match was halted almost two hours into the match as rain entered the area with the match beginning outdoors at the UTC Tennis Center. The two teams moved across town to the friendly indoor confines of the Strang-Voges Tennis Center at McCallie School with the delay totaling 41 minutes.
Following the narrow defeat, Chattanooga moves to 1-1 inside league play and now carries a 7-11 overall record.
Samford extended its winning streak to eight matches after the win and now sits at 11-4 overall while remaining perfect and atop the league standings at 4-0.
Chattanooga opened the match with a 1-0 lead following an impressive display in the doubles format. The Mocs No. 2 tandem of Jordan McClure and Cortland Grove started with a 6-3 victory before the top pairing of Peyton Gatti and Jakub Jupa earned a 6-4 win to clinch the team point.
In singles, Samford gained a 2-1 advantage in the match following victories at the No. 3 and No. 4 position by respective 6-2, 6-2 and 6-0, 7-5 decisions. UTC tied things at 2-2 after Gabriel Castillo capped off a strong comeback effort with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 winner at No. 2.
The Bulldogs regained the lead, 3-2, after picking up a wild 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 win in the No. 5 slot with two matches remaining as both were currently in the third set. With the No. 1 and No. 6 pairings coming down to the wire, it was Samford's No. 6 that clinched the match with a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) comeback victory in tiebreak fashion. Jupa earned a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win in the top spot to account for the third point.
Chattanooga (7-11, 1-1 SoCon) returns to action Friday, March 29, with a 12:30 p.m. road match at SoCon foe Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C. Live match coverage links, if available, will be located on the schedule page at GoMocs.com in advance of first serve.
Samford 4, Chattanooga 3
3/22/2024 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (UTC Tennis/Strang-Voges Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Jakub Jupa (UTC) def. Maxwell Giddens (SAM) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
2. Gabriel Castillo (UTC) def. Sandeep Mohandoss (SAM) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
3. Darcy Nicholls (SAM) def. Ryan Mudre (UTC) 6-3, 6-2
4. Maksim Bogdanovich (SAM) def. Cortland Grove (UTC) 6-0, 7-5
5. Santiago Arredondo (SAM) def. Kristof Kincses (UTC) 6-1, 1-6, 6-4
6. Will Gray (SAM) def. Ethan Carr (UTC) 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
Doubles competition
1. Jakub Jupa/Peyton Gatti (UTC) def. Maxwell Giddens/Sandeep Mohandoss (SAM) 6-4
2. Cortland Grove/Jordan McClure (UTC) def. Santiago Arredondo/Maksim Bogdanovich (SAM) 6-3
3. Darcy Nicholls/Will Gray (SAM) def. Gabriel Castillo/Kristof Kincses (UTC) 7-6 (7-4)