Raiders complete comeback over WKU, advance to Quarterfinals

Thursday, April 21

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

3 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

WKU

4/21/2016 8:54:00 PM | Women's Tennis

MT to play top-seeded FIU at 10 tomorrow morning

By: Matt Posey, @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – It was the last match of the first round of the 2016 Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship, but it was also the most exciting.

Middle Tennessee battled back from down 0-3 to earn a 4-3 first round win over rival Western Kentucky and advance to the quarterfinals to play FIU, the number one team in C-USA and No. 43 nationally.

"We definitely had to dig deep tonight," MT head coach Charlie Ramsay said. "This is probably the largest comeback I've been a part of."

The Hilltoppers jumped out to a good start, winning close matches at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Darya Shulzhanok and Sarah Sediri won their match at No. 2, 6-1, which set the tone for Shulzhanok's singles match.

"Losing doubles is something that we weren't used to," Ramsay added. "I'm proud of the way our girls battled back after getting down the way we did."

MT's back was against the wall as Western pulled ahead, 3-0, in the match with singles wins at No. 2 and 4.

Shulzhanok put the Blue Raiders on the board with a 6-2, 7-5 win at the top spot in the lineup. Freshman Luisa Zirilli followed suit at No. 3 with a three-set win, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. Alory Pereira worked fast en route to a 6-1, 6-1 dominant victory at No. 5.

That set the stage for Costanza Magazzini, a freshman experiencing her first C-USA Championship action. Magazzini cruised through the first set, 6-3, but faced a little bit of trouble in the second set, as she was down two games early on.

Later in the second set, Magazzini broke her opponent's serve to force a tiebreak. She won the tiebreak, 7-3, and put the final touches on Middle Tennessee's win over Western Kentucky.

There's little rest to be had after that four hour long match. The Blue Raiders will face one seed FIU tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the quarterfinals.

The Panthers enter tournament play with a 15-2 record overall, losing to Troy, 4-3, and No. 41 Columbia, 3-4. FIU beat Stetson earlier in the season by a score of 7-0, while the Blue Raiders got the best of Stetson, 4-1, in Tampa, Florida. Both teams took down VCU earlier in the season. MT took a 4-1 win, while the Panthers were the victor, 6-1.

FIU took down currently fifth-seeded Marshall, 4-3, on the road, and swept 10-seed UTEP, 4-0. Being in Florida, the Panthers aren't required to play indoors for the first two months of the season. The quarterfinal match could potentially be indoors tomorrow depending on the weather.

C-USA Championship Central has all the information and updates regarding the tournament. Live stat updates will be available for MT's match vs. FIU, and updates will be posted on Twitter, @MT_WomensTennis.

WKU vs Middle Tennessee
4/21/2016 at Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Middle Tennessee 4, WKU 3

Singles competition
1. Darya Shulzhanok (MT) def. Andrea Christopoulou (WKU) 6-2, 7-5
2. Cynthia Melita (WKU) def. Brittany Huxley (MT) 6-1, 6-4
3. Luisa Zirilli (MT) def. Tereza Hejlova (WKU) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
4. Elpida Malamou (WKU) def. Giulia Squadrin (MT) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
5. Alory Pereira (MT) def. Cassie Pennington (WKU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Costanza Magazzini (MT) def. Violetta Shatalova (WKU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)

Doubles competition
1. Andrea Christopoulou/Cynthia Melita (WKU) def. Brittany Huxley/Giulia Squadrin (MT) 7-5
2. Darya Shulzhanok/Sarah Sediri (MT) def. Violetta Shatalova/Gabby Crofford (WKU) 6-1
3. Tereza Hejlova/Elpida Malamou (WKU) def. Alory Pereira/Costanza Magazzini (MT) 6-4

Match Notes:
WKU 9-6
Middle Tennessee 14-7-1
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,4,1,3,5,6)
2016 Conference USA Women's Tennis Championship
First Round
No. 8 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 9 Western Kentucky
Official: Ron McKinney T-4:00 A-94