Texas Tech University Athletics
Men's Tennis Gears Up for Two Top-25 Bouts at Home
February 07, 2019 | Men's Tennis
The Red Raiders return home to face their fourth and fifth consecutive ranked foes
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech men's tennis team will have a pair of matches at home this weekend as it plays host to No. 3 Mississippi State and No. 19 Tulane. The Red Raiders (5-2) will face the Bulldogs at 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 8 and the Green Wave on at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Red Raiders battled their way to a 4-3 victory over No. 14 ranked Texas A&M at the SMU Tennis Complex in Dallas, Texas. A pair of 6-4 wins in doubles play on courts 1 and 2 sealed the doubles point for Tech to begin the match. Tech then jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a straight-set win for Bjorn Thomson. Junior Parker Wynn slammed home the third point for the Red Raiders and freshman Franco Ribero secured the first ranked win of the year for Tech with a three-set thriller on the tail end.
PUTTING ON A CLINIC:
Tech head coach Brett Masi, assistant coach Daniel Whitehead and the Red Raider men's tennis players will host a free tennis clinic for students following Friday's match with the Bulldogs. Friday's clinic will feature approximately 30 minutes of drills, followed by an opportunity to play against some of the student-athletes. Free food will also be available to students who stick around after the match.
RED RAIDERS IN THE RANKINGS:
The Oracle/ITA Division I men's singles and doubles rankings were updated for the first time in 2019 and a trio of Red Raiders earned a spot to begin the year.
After going 3-1 to begin the spring, Thomson and Wynn moved up to No. 14 in the nation from their previous ranking of No. 17. The duo also finished second at the 2018 ITA National Fall Championships in November.
Senior Tommy Mylnikov also made an appearance in February's rankings, as he has led Tech on court 1 with a 3-2 singles record and an undefeated 4-0 doubles mark with fellow teammate Jackson Cobb.
QUICK HITS:
Tech is aiming to pick up its first back-to-back wins over top-25 opponents since defeating then No. 6 Baylor and No. 8 Oklahoma State during Big 12 Championship play in 2017.
The Red Raiders will also look to extend their home winning streak, which is currently sitting at 2-0 on the year. Tech went 12-1 at home a year ago, with their only loss coming from then No. 6 TCU to close out the regular season.
Ribero, who has begun the year at 4-0 in his first collegiate action, will look to continue his undefeated streak on Friday and Sunday. Three of his four wins have come at the anchor position on court 6 for the Red Raiders.
Starting quickly has become a point of emphasis for coach Masi and the Red Raider squad, as Tech has captured the initial doubles point in four of its' five wins this year.
FROM THE COACHES AND PLAYERS:
LIVE STATS:
Fans are encouraged to follow along with live stats here. The password for the stats feed is "ttu".
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will take a week off before returning to action at the annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala. on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23. Tech will next return home to face Nebraska and Iowa on Sunday, March 3.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Red Raiders battled their way to a 4-3 victory over No. 14 ranked Texas A&M at the SMU Tennis Complex in Dallas, Texas. A pair of 6-4 wins in doubles play on courts 1 and 2 sealed the doubles point for Tech to begin the match. Tech then jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to a straight-set win for Bjorn Thomson. Junior Parker Wynn slammed home the third point for the Red Raiders and freshman Franco Ribero secured the first ranked win of the year for Tech with a three-set thriller on the tail end.
PUTTING ON A CLINIC:
Tech head coach Brett Masi, assistant coach Daniel Whitehead and the Red Raider men's tennis players will host a free tennis clinic for students following Friday's match with the Bulldogs. Friday's clinic will feature approximately 30 minutes of drills, followed by an opportunity to play against some of the student-athletes. Free food will also be available to students who stick around after the match.
RED RAIDERS IN THE RANKINGS:
The Oracle/ITA Division I men's singles and doubles rankings were updated for the first time in 2019 and a trio of Red Raiders earned a spot to begin the year.
After going 3-1 to begin the spring, Thomson and Wynn moved up to No. 14 in the nation from their previous ranking of No. 17. The duo also finished second at the 2018 ITA National Fall Championships in November.
Senior Tommy Mylnikov also made an appearance in February's rankings, as he has led Tech on court 1 with a 3-2 singles record and an undefeated 4-0 doubles mark with fellow teammate Jackson Cobb.
QUICK HITS:
Tech is aiming to pick up its first back-to-back wins over top-25 opponents since defeating then No. 6 Baylor and No. 8 Oklahoma State during Big 12 Championship play in 2017.
The Red Raiders will also look to extend their home winning streak, which is currently sitting at 2-0 on the year. Tech went 12-1 at home a year ago, with their only loss coming from then No. 6 TCU to close out the regular season.
Ribero, who has begun the year at 4-0 in his first collegiate action, will look to continue his undefeated streak on Friday and Sunday. Three of his four wins have come at the anchor position on court 6 for the Red Raiders.
Starting quickly has become a point of emphasis for coach Masi and the Red Raider squad, as Tech has captured the initial doubles point in four of its' five wins this year.
FROM THE COACHES AND PLAYERS:
LIVE STATS:
Fans are encouraged to follow along with live stats here. The password for the stats feed is "ttu".
UP NEXT:
The Red Raiders will take a week off before returning to action at the annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala. on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23. Tech will next return home to face Nebraska and Iowa on Sunday, March 3.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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Vaccari/ Stewart Celebration
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Pawlak/Abboud Celebration
Sunday, February 23
Thiago Guglieri Win
Saturday, February 22
Doubles Celebration
Saturday, February 22