The Chattanooga Mocs men’s tennis team lost a narrow 4-3 contest to Belmont on March 13 at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex in Nashville. This marks the sixth time this season that a Mocs match has been decided by just one point.
Close matches have become a pattern for Chattanooga, which now holds a 5-8 record after the loss. Belmont improved to 6-7 and leads the all-time series between the teams, 11-9. The match was originally scheduled for January but had been postponed.
In doubles play, Belmont secured the opening point with wins at both No. 1 and No. 2 positions, while the third doubles match went unfinished. In singles, Chattanooga quickly tied the score with a straight-set win at No. 2 and then took a brief lead following another victory at No. 6. However, Belmont responded with wins at No. 3 and No. 5 singles to regain momentum.
A highlight for Chattanooga came when their top singles player extended his winning streak to seven matches with a three-set comeback victory at No. 1 singles, bringing his dual-match record to 8-4 this season. The overall result was decided in the final singles match on court four, where Belmont’s Morgan Woodson edged out his opponent in three sets (6-3, 4-6, 7-5).
Head coach Chuck Merzbacher reached his milestone of coaching his 200th match for Chattanooga during this contest and now holds an overall record of 99-101 over nine seasons with the program.
Looking ahead, Chattanooga will host Coastal Alabama Community College – South next Tuesday afternoon as part of its spring break schedule.
