Blue Raiders Fight Back but Fall, 4-3

Sunday, February 5

Racquet Club

10:00 AM

Middle Tennessee

Wichita State

2/5/2006 4:25:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: MT Media Relations

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee erased a three-point deficit but was unable to finish the job Sunday, falling 4-3 to Wichita State in women's tennis action at the Racquet Club of Murfreesboro. The Blue Raiders (2-2) lost the doubles point and the first two completed singles matches to fall behind 3-0 to the Shockers. But Coach Alison Ojeda's squad fought all the way back, evening the match at three before the deciding match went the way of the visitors. "We really fought our butts off today, and I'm very proud of the girls for that," Ojeda said. "We fell behind early but were able to pick up some good wins, hardfought wins. It came down to the last match, but we just weren't able to pull it off." The Shockers took the doubles point, with the final match decided in a tiebreaker. WSU's Madina Rakhim and Wendi Webster defeated Kelly Adams and Marlene Chemin, 8-3, at No. 1, but Middle Tennessee's Ann-Kristin Siljestrom and Pooja Kommireddi evened the score with an 8-4 triumph at No. 2 over Torrie Browning and Jackie Richey. That left Middle Tennessee's Claudia Szabo and Elvira Yusupova battling WSU's Ana Ines Exeni and Anna Egorova at No. 2, with the Shockers taking a 9-8 (5) decision and the first point of the match. Egorova defeated Yusupova, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 3, and Rakhim won 6-2, 6-1, over Chemin at No. 1 for a 3-0 Shockers advantage. But the Blue Raiders began the long road back with a 7-5, 6-1, triumph by Kommireddi at No. 6 over Richey. Szabo then won a back-and-forth tilt with Webster at No. 2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, and Siljestrom erased an early deficit to defeat Exeni at No. 4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, squaring the dual match at three. Browning won the deciding match for WSU with a 7-5, 6-4, victory over Adams at No. 5. The Blue Raiders return to action Wednesday, hosting Chattanooga at 6 p.m. at the Racquet Club. WICHITA STATE 4, MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3
SINGLES
1. Madina Rakhim (WSU) def. Marlene Chemin (MT), 6-2, 6-1
2. Claudia Szabo (MT) def. Wendi Webster (WSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
3. Anna Egorova (WSU) def. Elvira Yusupova (MT), 6-1, 6-1
4. Ann-Kristin Siljestrom (MT) def. Ana Ines Exeni (WSU), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
5. Torrie Browning (WSU) def. Kelly Adams (MT), 7-5, 6-4
6. Pooja Kommireddi (MT) def. Jackie Richey (WSU), 7-5, 6-1
Order of Finish: 3,1,6,2,3,5
DOUBLES
1. Rakhim-Webster (WSU) def. Adams-Chemin (MT), 8-3
2. Exeni-Egorova (WSU) def. Szabo-Yusupova (WSU), 9-8 (5)
3. Siljestrom-Kommireddi (MT) def. Richey-Browning (WSU), 8-4
Order of Finish: 1,3,2