Men’s Tennis downs South Alabama on the road

Saturday, March 24

Mobile, Ala.

11 AM

Middle Tennessee

South Alabama

3/25/2018 10:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis

MT wins in first match as a ranked team this year

By: @MTAthletics

MT vs. South Alabama results
Season Statistics

MOBILE, Ala. – In their first match as a nationally ranked team this season, the No. 50-ranked Blue Raiders defeated South Alabama on their home courts on Saturday by a score of 4-1.

"Our guys stepped up big today on the road," MT head coach Jimmy Borendame said following the win. "We saw a solid performance by all the guys, and South Alabama is a tough team."

Middle Tennessee (15-4) started off the scoring with doubles wins on courts two and three. Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore teamed up with Miguel Negre Fernandez for a 6-3 win at No. 2, followed by Jan Porteset and Max Rauch at No. 3 with the same score. Tom Moonen and Chris Edge were leading, 6-5, at No. 1 but were unable to finish their match.

South Alabama got on the board in singles with a 6-3, 6-3 win at the top of the lineup, but three Blue Raiders prevailed to help MT finish off the 4-1 win. Edge took a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 3, followed by Negre at No. 4, 6-4, 6-3, to give MT its third point in the match. Senior Gian Issa moved into sole possession of eighth all-time in program history for singles wins with a 7-5, 6-4 performance on court five.

Morell was leading 2-0 in his third set when the match was halted, and Luis Morillo Diaz had split sets and was beginning his third set at No. 6 when the Blue Raiders clinched the win.

MT turns its attention now to a doubleheader on March 31 at the Adams Tennis Complex against Drake and Alabama A&M, with action getting underway at 10 a.m. Only six matches remain in the regular season, including five opportunities to catch the Blue Raiders at the ATC.