With Southern Conference Tournament action kicking off Thursday morning at nearby Champions Club in Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Mocs men's tennis team earned four total selections on the All-SoCon honoree list as the postseason awards were announced by the league this afternoon ahead of competition.
SoCon Tournament details including Thursday's quarterfinal matchup between No. 4 Chattanooga (13-10) and No. 5 Furman (7-14) and complete league awards can be found below.
SoCon Tournament Information
Dates: April 17-19, 2025
Location: Champions Club (3400 Lupton Drive, Chattanooga, TN)
Info/Bracket: Tournament Central
Quarterfinal Round – April 17
Matchup: (4) Chattanooga vs.
(5) Furman
Time: 8:30 a.m. ET
Records: UTC (13-10, 4-3) · FUR (7-14, 3-4)
Last Meeting: UTC 5, Furman 2 – 4/4/25
Series History: Furman leads 36-16.
Match Links: Stats/Results (when available)
Notables
· Chattanooga is looking to make its fourth-straight semifinals appearance for the first time since five-straight from 1998-2002 when the tournament format changed from individual to team.
· Chattanooga bowed out in the semifinal round in 2022 and 2024 while finishing as runner ups during the 2023 event.
· Chattanooga defeated Furman, 4-2, in the last postseason meeting between the two programs in 2023… matchup came in the semifinal round.
· Chattanooga's last SoCon Tournament title came back in 2000… tournament also occurred in Chattanooga.
All-Southern Conference Honors
For the second-straight season in the singles honor category, Jakub Jupa was tabbed to the All-SoCon First Team while Gabiel Castillo earned All-SoCon Second Team laurels. Jupa and Castillo added to their accolades with a spot on the All-SoCon Second Team in doubles action.
Rounding out the team's four total selections, Matej Laibl was voted on the SoCon All-Freshman Team after a strong rookie campaign. Laibl's award makes it three-straight seasons with a UTC representative on the league all-freshman team after Cortland Grove in 2023 and Jupa in 2024.
"With the league being extremely competitive [three-way tie for first place], there's no doubt there are a lot of talented players across this conference," said head coach Chuck Merzbacher after the awards were announced.
"I'm proud of our guys claiming All-SoCon honors with all the depth in the league. It truly says a lot about their efforts this season!"
2024-25 All-SoCon Awards
Player of the Year
Nemanja Stefanovic, Mercer
Coach of the Year
Eric Hayes, Mercer
Don Bunch / Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award
Robbie Young, Wofford
Freshman of the Year
Hayden Menon, Samford
Singles - First Team
Peter Kalocsai, ETSU
Nemanja Stefanovic, Mercer
Hod'Abala Isak Padio, Mercer
Sandeep Mohandoss, Samford
Jakub Jupa, Chattanooga
Robbie Young, Wofford
Singles - Second Team
Pedro Cressoni, ETSU
Martin Garcia-Ripoll, ETSU
Timothy Khrystyuk, UNCG
Darcy Nicholls, Samford
Gabriel Castillo, Chattanooga
Jack Deveney, Wofford
Doubles - First Team
Hod'Abala Isak Radio/Amen Prince Gondounou, Mercer
Darcy Nicholls/JB Pickard, Samford
Jack Deveney/Robbie Young, Wofford
Doubles - Second Team
Martin Garcia-Ripoll/Pater Kalocsai, ETSU
Marceau Fouilhoux/Nemanja Stefanovic, Mercer
Jakub Jupa/Gabriel Castillo, Chattanooga
All-Freshmen Team
Carlos Gonzales, ETSU
Juan Listo, ETSU
Theo Joly, Furman
Hayden Menon, Samford
Matej Laibl, Chattanooga
Jack Burdell, Wofford