MT Moves to Semifinals with Win over FAU

Friday, April 20

Norfolk, Va.

1 PM

Middle Tennessee

4-seed FAU

4/20/2018 5:03:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Blue Raiders set for a rematch with No. 37 FIU

By: @MTAthletics

5-seed MT vs. 4-seed FAU results

NORFOLK, Va.– Middle Tennessee women's tennis was seeded below their Conference USA Championship Quarterfinals opponent Florida Atlantic on Friday, but the Blue Raiders came away with a 4-3 victory to advance.

The 5-seed Blue Raiders started singles play against 4-seed FAU down a point after the Owls earned victories at No. 1 and 3. The match at No. 3 ended in a tiebreak, and Lee Barnard paired with Marta Peris Herrero at No. 2, where they came back from down 1-5 to send their match into a tiebreak before the match was halted.

"After doubles, I didn't have to say much to the team honestly," MT head coach Charlie Ramsay said. "They were ready for singles. They were not ready to go home. I just can't say enough about how proud I am of our whole team's effort today. It was just a phenomenal tennis match."

FAU extended its lead to 2-0 by winning in straight sets at the No. 1 spot in the lineup, but Luisa Zirilli put the Blue Raiders on the board with a 6-2, 6-3 performance at No. 6. Kim Kermet then tied the match at 2-2 by winning at No. 3, 6-1, 7-5. After the Owls took the lead back, Barnard won in three sets on court five to knot the match back up. Maria Josefina Zehnder clinched the fifth Blue Raider win in a row with a straight-set match at No. 2.

"We're going to take a little while and enjoy this win together and then start talking about what we need to do to be successful tomorrow," Ramsay added. "We're very grateful for the opportunity."

MT moves on to face top seed FIU tomorrow. The No. 37-ranked Panthers are now on a five-match win streak after taking the win over 9-seed Charlotte on Friday morning, 4-0. That current win streak started on April 6 in Murfreesboro against the Blue Raiders. Zirilli was the only Blue Raider to win that day, but the remaining five singles matches saw a third set, including two that were unfinished.

The Panthers are led by Andrea Lazaro in singles, who is ranked as the No. 9 singles player in the country. Lazaro had a record of 11-2 in the regular season, all at the top spot, followed by Sandra Bozinovic (11-3) and Ulyana Grib (10-2). FIU is strong at the top of the lineup but beatable at the back of the lineup, as they are 17-12 combined at No. 4-6 singles. In doubles, the Panthers are stellar as a team (30-9), and Grib pairs with Maryna Veksler to be the No. 26-ranked doubles pair with a record of 8-3 in the spring.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter, @MT_WomensTennis, and Facebook, MTSU Women's Tennis, as they continue their postseason play.

The winner of the MT vs. FIU match will face the winner of the 2-seed Rice vs. 3-seed ODU matchup in the C-USA Championship Finals on Sunday at 9 a.m.