The ETSU men’s tennis team took on the No. 46 nationally ranked Clemson Tigers and defeated them 4-1 on March 7 in an out of conference match.
Going into the game, the team was on a five-game winning streak. They walked out with a six-game streak.
“I think it’s more or less keep playing the same way, getting healthy and getting the guys to be more discipline,” said head coach Martin Stiegwardt. “The last few matches have been good because we have had pretty much every guy competing at the level they should be at. If they play their game, then I think we have a good shot against Clemson.”
The day started off rough with two losses in doubles. Senior Chris Mikrovas (Athens, Greece) and junior Fraizer Rengifo (Cali, Colombia) lost 3-6 against seniors Carlos Kelaidis and Gabriel Diaz Freire, and senior Yusuf Khamis (Cairo, Egypt) and junior Juan Lugo (Maracay, Venezuela) also lost 3-6 against sophomores Theodor Giusca and Jacob Jahn.
“The strategies were to keep focus on the things we have been doing,” said Rengifo. “We have been making some changes to compete hard and trying to work as a team.”
The Bucs came back from the defeat in doubles and won all four singles matches. Rengifo defeated Giusca 7-6, 6-4. Lugo beat Kelaidis 6-2, 6-3. Sophomore Dimitri Badra (Maracay, Venezuela) defeated sophomore Matteo Vialmin 6-1, 6-2, and senior Miguel Este (Caracas, Venezuela) beat sophomore Mike Agee 6-1, 6-1.
Rengifo was named SoCon Player of the Week on March 3.
“I’ve been working with my coach a lot about how to make my game better and how to play tennis better,” said Rengifo. “I’ve been struggling with certain things, and now these changes have been very helpful to win these matches and this award. I never expected that I would win.”
The Buccaneers have a 2-0 record in the conference and 7-6 overall.
The Bucs play at home on March 13 as they take on the Mercer Bears at 1 p.m.
