Bruins Defeat Rival Tennessee Tech for Second Consecutive Horizon League South Division Title

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Closing out the regular season with senior day at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex in Nashville, the Belmont University men's tennis team defeated rival Tennessee Tech 4-1 Saturday afternoon to capture its second consecutive Horizon League South Division title. The Bruins (10-9, 5-0 Horizon) complete their second-straight undefeated Horizon League season after winning the doubles point and taking three of the top four singles matches against the visiting Golden Eagles (3-11, 3-1 Horizon).
 
Improving to 15-0 in Horizon League matches since joining the league, Belmont wins its third-straight conference regular season championship and program's sixth in the Bruins' NCAA era. Belmont has won nine total, regular season and conference tournament, championships since joining the Division I ranks.
 
Winning their fourth in a row versus Tennessee Tech, the Bruins needed a victory at No. 3 doubles to secure the doubles point and senior Tomas Luis and junior Gabriel Sardo delivered. Despite trailing 5-2, the duo took it point-by-point and battled their way back against the Golden Eagles' Alex Alvarez and Darek Kuczynski, ultimately prevailing 7-4 in a tiebreaker.
 
Belmont's first doubles win came on court one where the senior tandem of Niklas von Hellens and Alfred Wallin dismantled Tennessee Tech's Lucas Bitzer and Davids Spaks, 6-1. The Golden Eagles took No. 2 doubles, 6-1, with Murilo Burckhardt and Paulo Ramos Martin defeating junior Ruben Busch and brand-new Bruin Benton Drake.
 
In singles play, both Luis and Wallin made quick work of their opponents at the top two spots.
 
Luis was dominant in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Burckhardt at No. 2 singles, earning his 74th career singles victory to set the program record. With the win, Luis surpasses Marko Ilic (2018-21, 2022-23) for the most-ever singles victories by a Belmont player.
 
Wallin then clinched the match at the top singles spot with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 win over Alvarez. The Bruins had taken a 3-1 lead in the match when Sardo won by retirement at No. 4 singles. Sardo led Spaks 6-0, 1-0 when Spaks was forced to retire due to injury.
 
Tennessee Tech claimed its first point of the afternoon at No. 6 singles where Kuczynski topped Drake 6-1, 6-3. A junior addition to the team just this week, Drake was making his Belmont debut.
 
With the Bruins having already clinched the match, the Golden Eagles picked up straight-set wins at the fifth and third positions in the lineup. Bitzer bested Busch 6-3, 6-3 at No. 5 singles before Ramos Martin got past von Hellens on court three, 6-4, 6-3.

Following the match, Busch, Ian Cruz, Luis, Sardo, Riccardo Trione, von Hellens and Wallin were all honored for their contributions to the program with a senior day recognition ceremony.
 
Up Next
Belmont will be the South Division No. 1 seed at next weekend's Horizon League Men's Tennis Championship and has earned a spot in the semifinals, which will take place next Saturday at 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET. The 2024 Horizon League Men's Tennis Championship is being hosted on the campus of Purdue University at the Schwartz Tennis Center in West Lafayette, Indiana. The Bruins will face either the No. 2 seed from the North Division or the No. 3 seed from the South Division in the Horizon League Championship semifinals.
 
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