The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's tennis team posted two wins in non-conference action today.  The Mocs defeated USC-Upstate 5-2 to open the brand new UTC Tennis Center this afternoon, then downed Carson-Newman 7-0 at McCallie's Strang-Voges Tennis Center later in the evening. 

Chattanooga pushed its winning streak to five matches, the longest run for UTC since winning six in a row in 2012.  The Mocs are now 8-4 overall, equaling last year's win total.  That was the most wins in a season for UTC since going 12-9 in 2013. 

The Spartans opened the day by winning the doubles point for a 1-0 lead.  Junior Niklas Gerdes and freshman Tomas Rodriguez won at No. 2, but that was all the Mocs could get early on.

Chattanooga was able to grab the momentum back by taking the first set in five of the six singles matches.  Senior Pablo Llebili quickly evened the score with a (6-1, 6-4) win at No. 5.  Junior Simon Bustamante put UTC up 2-1 with a three-set win at No. 5. 

Gerdes won in straight-sets at No. 1, while Rodriguez clinched the victory at No. 2.  Sophomore Cooper Long won in three-sets at No. 6, before the Spartans closed out the match with a win at No. 3.

"Very proud of the guys today," stated head coach Chuck Merzbacher.  "The USC-Upstate team was very strong, but I thought we were tough.  We lost the doubles point, and then everyone got into their matches and were really dialed in.  That was a very tough match with a lot of strong play on both ends."

Action moved to the indoor courts of the Strang-Voges Tennis Center at the McCallie School for the nightcap against Carson-Newman.  Chattanooga won all nine matches for a 7-0 victory against the Eagles.

Gerdes and Rodriguez improved to 8-1 at No. 2 with their fourth win in a row.  Bustamante and freshman Kerim Hyatt improved to 6-4 in the top spot, while Llebeili and sophomore Jacob Marshall won at No. 3.

Llebeili posted his ninth win in a row in singles, improving to 9-3 in spring duals.  Gerdes and Rodriguez extended their singles streaks to five matches, while Long moved to 4-0 in spring play.

"To come back in the evening against Carson-Newman and win all the matches was nice," added Merzbacher.  "The guys had a full day and are exhausted, but they are pleased with being 8-4."

Up next for the Mocs is a visit from Tennessee Tech on Saturday, March 2.  First serve is set for 2:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) at the UTC Tennis Center.

Chattanooga 5, USC-Upstate 2
02/24/2019 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (UTC Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Niklas Gerdes (UTC) def. Ankush Arora (USCU) 6-3, 7-5
2. Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. Francisco Neto (USCU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Fernando Bernardes (USCU) def. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) 7-6 (10-8), 3-6, 6-3
4. Simon Bustamante (UTC) def. Lucas Percy (USCU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
5. Pablo Llebeili (UTC) def. Frederick Sydow (USCU) 6-1, 6-4
6. Cooper Long (UTC) def. Tom Russwurm (USCU) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 1-0 (10-4)

Doubles competition
1. Ankush Arora/Fernando Bernardes (USCU) def. Kerim Hyatt/Simon Bustamante (UTC) 6-4
2. Niklas Gerdes/Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. Lucas Percy/Frederick Sydow (USCU) 6-2
3. Samuel Schiano/Francisco Neto (USCU) def. Pablo Llebeili/Jacob Marshall (UTC) 6-3

Match Notes
USC-Upstate 1-4
Chattanooga 7-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,4,1,2,6,3)

Chattanooga 7, Carson-Newman 0
02/24/2019 at Chattanooga, Tenn. (Strang-Voges Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Niklas Gerdes (UTC) def. Gabriel Dabdab (C-N) 6-2, 6-0
2. Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. Rintaro Oka (C-N) 6-2, 6-0
3. Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. Hernan Toledo (C-N) 6-4, 6-2
4. Simon Bustamante (UTC) def. Marc Bantel (C-N) 6-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-8)
5. Pablo Llebeili (UTC) def. Jesus Bacete (C-N) 7-5, 6-2
6. Cooper Long (UTC) def. Joseph Stiles (C-N) 6-1, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Simon Bustamante/Kerim Hyatt (UTC) def. Gabriel Dabdab/Jesus Bacete (C-N) 6-2
2. Niklas Gerdes/Tomas Rodriguez (UTC) def. Rintaro Oka/Hernan Toledo (C-N) 6-3
3. Pablo Llebeili/Jacob Marshall (UTC) def. Marc Bantel/Victor Ireno (C-N) 6-3

Match Notes
Carson-Newman 1-6
Chattanooga 8-4
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (6,2,3,1,5,4)
T-2 hours A-20