The ETSU men’s tennis team played host to ranked Middle Tennessee State University on April 6. Before the match, the Bucs were 11-5, but after a 6-1 win against MTSU, they move to 12-5 and remain 4-0 in the Southern Conference.
Before this match, on April 3, the Bucs beat UNC-Wilmington 4-1, a school ranked at No. 63. With these wins, the Bucs have proven they can take on any opponent and dominate, and they look to do so in the rest of the regular season.
“MTSU is a tough team with a lot of great results,” coach Yassar Zaatini said. “And for the boys to put it together and have a performance like that at home was great.”
David Biosca (Sant Fruitos De Bage, Spain) helped to lead the team once again in their victory. Biosca was named SoCon Player of the Week for games played March 23 to April 3. This is his third career honor.
Biosca, ranked No. 85 according to the lastest rankings, has now won his last seven matches with his singles win against MTSU. He won his match after winning the first set, falling behind in set two and coming back to win set three against his opponent, 6-0.
Biosca and doubles partner Rogerio Ribeiro (Sao Raulo, Brazil) also got in a 6-1 win.
“Tennis, even though it is an individual sport, we need to operate as a machine,” Zaatini said.
The Bucs won two of their three doubles matches, and that is what really set the tone for the singles play and the ultimate win of the match.
“I think today we started off with a great energy; the motor was cranking early,” Zaatini said. “To get that momentum with the doubles and step it up in the singles made the difference.”
Coming up in the next week, the Bucs are finishing off their regular season play with three conference matches, starting with Chattanooga on April 9 at home.
“It’s going to be a challenge for us in order to win the regular season,” Biosca said. “We have to practice really well the next [few] days to be ready for the matches.”
