ETSU competes in trio of hidden dual matches

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Oct. 31, 2021) – The 2021 fall season came to an end on Sunday for the ETSU Men’s Tennis team as the squad wrapped up competition in the 2021 Hokie Halloween Clash in Blacksburg, Va.

The Bucs competed in a trio of hidden dual matches, squaring off against Radford, Virginia Tech and Virginia. The Cavaliers were plagued with injuries so they had to play alongside various competitors from the remaining three teams.

ETSU toppled Radford in the opening day on Friday, besting the Highlanders by the final of 11-1. ETSU also played alongside Virginia in four of its matches with Thiago Pernas (Buenos Aires, Argentina) picking up a dominating 6-0, 6-0 win over Virginia Tech’s Scott Sculley. Against the Highlanders, the Bucs claimed five straight-set singles wins and two three-set victories, falling in just one singles battle. ETSU successfully captured all four doubles events against Radford.

On Saturday, the Bucs squared off against the host Hokies, falling 5-7 in hidden dual matches. The Bucs split the eight singles matches evenly, finishing 4-4 against Virginia Tech. However, doubles play proved to be the difference.

The final day featured 12 matches for the Bucs as they squared off against Virginia and company. The Cavaliers were paired with Radford as the Bucs claimed eight victories on the final day, including three against Virginia.

For the tournament, ETSU saw a big boost from Pernas, Yusuf Khamis (Cairo, Egypt) and Juan Sebastian Zabala (Guayaquil, Ecuador). The trio finished undefeated with a 10-0 mark between them, including a tournament-best 4-0 mark from Pernas.

ETSU’s new transfer Hugo Lobo (Toulon, France) was perfect in doubles play with a 4-0 mark, including three wins alongside teammate Dimitri Badra (Maracay, Venezuela).

ETSU will now turn its attention to the spring season. The 2022 spring schedule will be released at a later time.

For more information on Buccaneer men’s tennis visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s tennis page.