Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Francisco Rocha (left), Pavel Motl (center), Stijn Slump (right)
Heralded freshmen help MT reach NCAA Tourney
4/25/2019 9:06:00 AM | Men's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – All eyes at Murfreesboro's Adams Tennis Complex were on Middle Tennessee freshman Pavel Motl.
After a tiebreaker win by junior Tom Moonen at No. 3 singles, the Blue Raiders found themselves knotted at 3 with top-seeded Florida Atlantic, sending the fate of the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship title to the battle at No. 6. It was a long comeback after the men in blue found themselves in an early 3-1 hole.
Motl, a 21-year-old – he's a little older than your typical freshman – native of the Czech Republic, found himself facing a second serve with a 40-30 advantage in the 12th game of a decisive third set.
Needing just one more point to win the match on his home court, Motl calmly served to Owls freshman Alvaro Fernandez Horta, then followed with a couple of forehand returns while moving to his left.
On the third forehand, Motl knew he'd hit a good one. After the smash, he stood tall and watched as Fernandez Horta couldn't quite reach it to send a volley back, ending the set 7-5 and the match 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 7-5.
Motl looked to his left, dropped his racket and went to his knees as his teammates stormed the court, consuming the freshman underneath a celebratory dogpile.
Third-seeded Middle Tennessee took a 4-3 win on Easter Sunday, April 20, its first C-USA title. It advanced the Blue Raiders to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
"It was amazing," Motl said. "I didn't know what the score was until everyone started coming to my match, and I realized it was the decider. I was cramping and just praying to finish it."
Before the Blue Raiders took the C-USA crown, they had to make up a 3-1 deficit after the first three singles matches had concluded. Middle Tennessee took the doubles point with a pair of wins before FAU rebounded with three straight victories at Nos. 1, 5 and 2 singles.
It wasn't the first time in the tournament MT got into a nail-biter, though. Nor was it the first time its fate laid on the racket of a freshman.
Two days prior, the Blue Raiders were on the brink of succumbing to a similar downfall that ended FAU's title hopes. They let a 3-2 lead slip away when Motl lost in three sets, setting up freshman Stijn Slump for an opportunity to clinch the quarterfinals victory.
After dropping the first set, Slump battled back in the second to win 6-3, forcing a third set that went all the way to a tiebreaker.
With a 6-5 advantage, Slump was forced to break UTSA's Joao Ceolin's serve. He returned three volleys before Ceolin faltered, giving Slump a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) win and MT a much-needed deep breath after escaping into the semifinals.
"Stijn really came through in the clutch," Blue Raiders head coach Jimmy Borendame said. "That's just huge. We obviously spent a lot of time recruiting these guys, so it's pretty cool to see them step up like that."
Without its freshmen, Middle Tennessee likely wouldn't have been able to win its first C-USA crown.
The Blue Raiders' 2018 recruiting class of Motl, Slump and Francisco Rocha was ranked 20th in the nation by Tennis Recruiting Network, Middle Tennessee's highest-ever ranking.
Motl has turned into one of the best freshmen in program history, currently ranking first and tied for fifth all-time in doubles and singles wins by a freshman, respectively, with 26 and 24. Rocha is fourth with 23 doubles wins, while Slump is one off the top 10 in singles victories with 19.
"You look at their rankings … but until they show up and acclimate to the environment and coaching, you really don't know where they're going to fit in," Borendame said. "Pavel has been automatic, especially in doubles, and I don't think I expected Stijn to play as high as he has in the lineup ... and Francisco – we call him 'Brock' – has proven to be an emotional leader of the team. He came to us a very raw doubles player and has kept improving, and I anticipate seeing him in more singles matches next year.
"They've all three really risen to the occasion, and I'm proud of them. I think it's just the beginning."
Borendame expected the freshmen to come in and compete right away. Did he anticipate them helping to lead the Blue Raiders to a C-USA title and the NCAA Tournament in their first season, though? Maybe not.
Since winning back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles in Borendame's first two seasons at the helm in 2011 and 2012, Middle Tennessee hadn't made the finals in any conference tournament, including in five seasons in C-USA, until this year. That includes 2018, when the Blue Raiders went 22-5 overall and finished No. 43 in the ITA national rankings but lost in the semifinals.
Securing the C-USA championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the backs of first-year players was quite the way to end the drought.
"It's really good for this program," senior Gonzalo Morrell Raschiatore said. "The program has a good future right now, and I feel like it's only going to get better the next few years."
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, MT boasts an 18-11 record, with wins in 10 of its last 12 matches overall.
The Blue Raiders will learn their NCAA tournament opponent, location and dates during a selection show on April 29 at 5 p.m. No matter who or where they have to play, be sure they'll go in hungry and full of confidence, with not even their freshmen showing nerves.
"We didn't start the season the way we wanted, but we've worked hard and the end of the season has been amazing," Motl said. "I'm so happy for our seniors that they can finish they college careers like this."
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
After a tiebreaker win by junior Tom Moonen at No. 3 singles, the Blue Raiders found themselves knotted at 3 with top-seeded Florida Atlantic, sending the fate of the Conference USA Men's Tennis Championship title to the battle at No. 6. It was a long comeback after the men in blue found themselves in an early 3-1 hole.
Motl, a 21-year-old – he's a little older than your typical freshman – native of the Czech Republic, found himself facing a second serve with a 40-30 advantage in the 12th game of a decisive third set.
Needing just one more point to win the match on his home court, Motl calmly served to Owls freshman Alvaro Fernandez Horta, then followed with a couple of forehand returns while moving to his left.
On the third forehand, Motl knew he'd hit a good one. After the smash, he stood tall and watched as Fernandez Horta couldn't quite reach it to send a volley back, ending the set 7-5 and the match 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 7-5.
Motl looked to his left, dropped his racket and went to his knees as his teammates stormed the court, consuming the freshman underneath a celebratory dogpile.
Third-seeded Middle Tennessee took a 4-3 win on Easter Sunday, April 20, its first C-USA title. It advanced the Blue Raiders to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
"It was amazing," Motl said. "I didn't know what the score was until everyone started coming to my match, and I realized it was the decider. I was cramping and just praying to finish it."
Before the Blue Raiders took the C-USA crown, they had to make up a 3-1 deficit after the first three singles matches had concluded. Middle Tennessee took the doubles point with a pair of wins before FAU rebounded with three straight victories at Nos. 1, 5 and 2 singles.
It wasn't the first time in the tournament MT got into a nail-biter, though. Nor was it the first time its fate laid on the racket of a freshman.
Two days prior, the Blue Raiders were on the brink of succumbing to a similar downfall that ended FAU's title hopes. They let a 3-2 lead slip away when Motl lost in three sets, setting up freshman Stijn Slump for an opportunity to clinch the quarterfinals victory.
After dropping the first set, Slump battled back in the second to win 6-3, forcing a third set that went all the way to a tiebreaker.
With a 6-5 advantage, Slump was forced to break UTSA's Joao Ceolin's serve. He returned three volleys before Ceolin faltered, giving Slump a 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) win and MT a much-needed deep breath after escaping into the semifinals.
"Stijn really came through in the clutch," Blue Raiders head coach Jimmy Borendame said. "That's just huge. We obviously spent a lot of time recruiting these guys, so it's pretty cool to see them step up like that."
Without its freshmen, Middle Tennessee likely wouldn't have been able to win its first C-USA crown.
The Blue Raiders' 2018 recruiting class of Motl, Slump and Francisco Rocha was ranked 20th in the nation by Tennis Recruiting Network, Middle Tennessee's highest-ever ranking.
Motl has turned into one of the best freshmen in program history, currently ranking first and tied for fifth all-time in doubles and singles wins by a freshman, respectively, with 26 and 24. Rocha is fourth with 23 doubles wins, while Slump is one off the top 10 in singles victories with 19.
"You look at their rankings … but until they show up and acclimate to the environment and coaching, you really don't know where they're going to fit in," Borendame said. "Pavel has been automatic, especially in doubles, and I don't think I expected Stijn to play as high as he has in the lineup ... and Francisco – we call him 'Brock' – has proven to be an emotional leader of the team. He came to us a very raw doubles player and has kept improving, and I anticipate seeing him in more singles matches next year.
"They've all three really risen to the occasion, and I'm proud of them. I think it's just the beginning."
Borendame expected the freshmen to come in and compete right away. Did he anticipate them helping to lead the Blue Raiders to a C-USA title and the NCAA Tournament in their first season, though? Maybe not.
Since winning back-to-back Sun Belt Conference titles in Borendame's first two seasons at the helm in 2011 and 2012, Middle Tennessee hadn't made the finals in any conference tournament, including in five seasons in C-USA, until this year. That includes 2018, when the Blue Raiders went 22-5 overall and finished No. 43 in the ITA national rankings but lost in the semifinals.
Securing the C-USA championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament on the backs of first-year players was quite the way to end the drought.
"It's really good for this program," senior Gonzalo Morrell Raschiatore said. "The program has a good future right now, and I feel like it's only going to get better the next few years."
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, MT boasts an 18-11 record, with wins in 10 of its last 12 matches overall.
The Blue Raiders will learn their NCAA tournament opponent, location and dates during a selection show on April 29 at 5 p.m. No matter who or where they have to play, be sure they'll go in hungry and full of confidence, with not even their freshmen showing nerves.
"We didn't start the season the way we wanted, but we've worked hard and the end of the season has been amazing," Motl said. "I'm so happy for our seniors that they can finish they college careers like this."
Josh Vardaman is the staff writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Vardaman and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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