Match Results
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - - Belmont University men's tennis dropped a 4-3 decision to Tennessee Tech Sunday in the 2018 OVC Championship from Centennial Sportsplex.
One week earlier, Belmont had snapped Tennessee Tech's 28-match win streak in OVC regular season play.
With an NCAA Tournament berth at stake, another exceedingly competitive match coming down to a handful of points was expected - and realized.
In a high-stakes, high-drama match lasting nearly four hours, it all came down to No. 5 singles and senior Stephen Goldman vs. Tennessee Tech's Riku Kubota.
Kubota claimed set one before Goldman rallied to win a second set tiebreak to force a decisive third set.
Goldman staved off several break points before his Golden Eagle opponent won, 6-3, in the third.
The Bruins dug themselves out of an early hole. After dropping the doubles' point, straight set singles' victories from freshman Marko Ilic (Zagreb, Croatia), sophomore Vincent Sterkens (Antwerp, Belgium) and freshman Jake Briggs (Marietta, Ga.) put Belmont on the precipice of its first NCAA bid since 2006.
Tennessee Tech also claimed victories at No. 1 and No. 4 singles.
Play was moved indoors due to rainy conditions.
Belmont's remarkable run ends at 14-11, which included nine consecutive match wins and an OVC regular season championship.
