The Mocs men and women’s tennis teams hosted the UTC Steve Baras Fall Classic on home turf at the Champions Club located on Lupton Drive.
This is the 28th time that the classic has been hosted by the Mocs, and the players showed their home team spirit at the matches.
The men’s team went 5-3 in singles and 2-2 in doubles over the first day of the classic the weekend of Sept. 30 through Oct.. 2.
Roberto Vieira, a junior from Bedfordview, South America, Manual Barroetavena, a junior from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Chris Smith, a junior from Johnson City, Tenn., William Disterdick, a junior from Hixson, Tenn. and Orlando Lourenco, a sophomore from Hixson, Tenn., all won singles matches for the Mocs.
The second day of the classic was not as successful as the first. Out of the four singles matches played, only one was won by Jordan Faith, a sophomore from Denver, Colo.
Though the Mocs did not do as well in singles, the doubles matches are where the Mocs shined. They won three out of the four doubles matches that day.
Partners Disterdick and Vieria, Barroetavena and Crofford, Faith and Lorenco all dominated in the Gold, Silver, and white doubles flight respectively.
On the last day of the tournament the Mocs were unstoppable at doubles.
All three partners from day two went on to win another match with their doubles partner.
The Lady Mocs also stayed strong at the classic. They won two doubles titles and one singles title.
The first day of the hometown classic showed promise for the team.
Jenna Nurik, a junior from Roswell, Ga., won both singles matches in the Gold Singles flight, as well as Shaina Singh, a senior from Vancouver, BC, Canada, who also won both of her matches in the Platinum Single Flight.
There were also winning singles matches by Alexa Flynn, a sophomore from Memphis, and Kaylene Chadwell, a freshman from Franklin, Tenn.
The second day of the classic the Lady Mocs came out with two singles wins and two doubles wins.
Nurik and Charlotte Bossy, a senior from Koekelare, Belgium, won the two singles, while partners Chadwell and Nurik, and Bossy and Wishing made up the doubles wins.
The last day of the classic was the most favorable for the Lady Mocs.
They won every game that they competed in. Bossy won the Silver Singles Flight (Consolation), and Nurik won the Gold Singles Flight for the classic overall.
Doubles partners Nurik and Chadwell won the Gold Doubles Flight, and doubles partners Bossy and Wishing won the Silver Doubles Flight.
«We still have a long way to go before we reach our potential.» Head Coach Jeff Clark said of the Lady Mocs.
«Our players need to bring the intensity to the court each day to make one another better. If we do this, we have the makings of a good team this year.»
The Lady Mocs will next compete separately next time they play.
Four members of the team will go to the ITA Regionals Oct.. 14 through Oct. 17 in Memphis.
The remaining three players will go to the Roberta Alison Classic at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
The men team will also compete in the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Oct.. 20 through Oct.. 24 in Knoxville.
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