Blue Raiders earn sweep in doubleheader

Saturday, January 28

Murfreesboro, Tenn. - Adams Tennis Complex

1 PM

Middle Tennessee

George Washington

1/28/2017 7:32:00 PM | Men's Tennis

MT wins thriller over George Washington

By: @MTAthletics

MT vs. George Washington box score
MT vs. Alabama A&M box score
Season Statistics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After George Washington rallied to tie their match with Middle Tennessee at 3-3, MT freshman Tom Moonen derailed the comeback attempt by winning a thrilling three-set match to clinch the Blue Raiders' victory.

MT earned an early lead by taking doubles wins at the No. 1 and 2 spots with the scores being 6-1 and 6-2, respectively. Miguel Negre Fernandez and Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore took commanding two set wins in singles to push the lead to 3-0.

"The doubles point has obviously been a point of emphasis all week for us," MT assistant coach Daniel Leitner said. "The guys realized the importance of the doubles point against Penn, so all the credit goes to those guys."

The George Washington comeback began with a three-set win at No. 5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, followed by a victory in a slim margin at No. 6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). The Colonials tied the match at three points apiece after winning at the No. 3 spot, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5.

Moonen clinched the victory for the Blue Raiders after coming from behind to win the second set and forcing a third set. While in the final set, he fought off three match points while down 5-4, held serve to force a tiebreak, and came away with the match-clinching victory.

"My message for Tom was for him to do his job and play aggressive," Leitner added. "He's good when he comes forward, and his best chance of winning is when he plays aggressive. He wasn't at his best for the first set and a half, but he kept playing hard and was in the right place at the right time."

Against the Bulldogs, the Blue Raiders showed their dominance, sweeping Alabama A&M, 7-0.

MT won on all three doubles courts by a score of 6-0. After starting singles play up 1-0, Jacob Pugh took down his opponent with ease at No. 6, 6-0, 6-0. Gian Issa and Morell were next to finish, both winning in straight sets.

Nicolas Buitrago Machado claimed his first dual match win as a Blue Raider with a 6-1, 6-1 win at the No. 5 spot. Luis Morillo Diaz and Max Rauch finished the match with straight set triumphs at No. 2 and 3 to make the final score 7-0 in favor of the Blue Raiders.

MT will travel to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers Friday, but they'll return to the Adams Tennis Complex Sunday at 11 a.m. to face Western Michigan.

"There'll be a little bit of rest after today, but we're definitely going back to work," head coach Jimmy Borendame said. "Wisconsin has a tough team, and we're expecting a big crowd at that match."