Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Road test for the Raiders
1/24/2020 10:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Middle Tennessee plays Arkansas for the first time since 1971
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee men's tennis team face their first road test this weekend at the Razorback Invite. The Raiders open up the invite with a doubleheader Saturday against Wichita State at 9 a.m. and Drake at 8 p.m. To cap off the weekend, the Raiders take on host Arkansas Sunday at 2 p.m.
Here come the Blue Raiders
Scouting the Shockers
Scouting the Bulldogs
Scouting the Arkansas
Here come the Blue Raiders
- The Blue Raiders won the 2019 Conference USA title, first time since entering C-USA in 2012.
- Middle Tennessee made an NCAA appearance last season for the first time since 2011.
- Head coach Jimmy Borendame is in his 10th season and has a record of 146-97 (.595)
- Three Blue Raiders enter the spring in the ITA rankings. Chris Edge is ranked No. 76 in singles, while the sophomore duo of Pavel Motl and Stijn Slump are ranked No. 48 in doubles.
- The Raiders start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2011.
| Middle Tennessee vs. Wichita State | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday, January 25, 2020 |
| Time: | 9 a.m. |
| Venue: | Billingsly Tennis Center |
| Rankings: | ITA Rankings |
Scouting the Shockers
- Series tied 1-1
- This is the third meeting between the Blue Raiders and the Shockers, last time out the Shockers won in a tight 4-3 contest in Wichita last year.
- Wichita State is 1-1 with a win over Omaha (6-1) and a close loss to Denver (4-3).
- Last spring, the Shockers went 16-10 and lost in the semifinals of the AAC tournament to No. 28 UCF (4-0).
- Orel Ovil is ranked No. 122 in the latest ITA rankings.
| Middle Tennessee vs. Drake | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday, January 25, 2020 |
| Time: | 8 p.m. |
| Venue: | Billingsly Tennis Center |
| Rankings: | ITA Rankings |
Scouting the Bulldogs
- Series tied 1-1
- This is the third meeting between the Blue Raiders and the Bulldogs, last time out the Blue Raiders won 4-2 in Murfreesboro during the 2018 season.
- Drake is 1-2 with a win over Western Michigan (4-3) and losses to Northern Illinois (4-3) and Gonzaga (5-2).
- Drake lost five seniors in 2019
- Last spring, the Bulldogs went 19-14 and won the Summit League tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament against No. 24 California.
| Middle Tennessee vs. Arkansas | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Sunday, January 26, 2020 |
| Time: | 2 p.m. |
| Venue: | Billingsly Tennis Center |
| Rankings: | ITA Rankings |
Scouting the Arkansas
- Series tied 1-1
- This is the third meeting between the Blue Raiders and the Razorbacks, last time out the Blue Raiders lost a 5-4 contest in 1971.
- Arkansas has not played a dual match yet this season. They play Drake and Wichita State on Saturday before hosting the Blue Raiders.
- Last spring, the Razorbacks went 16-16 and ranked No. 48 in the ITA rankings. They lost in the SEC tournament to No. 17 Georgia.
Players Mentioned
MTEN: Middle Tennessee vs Belmont
Sunday, January 25
MTEN: Middle Tennessee vs Harvard
Tuesday, January 20
MTEN: Middle Tennessee vs Tennessee Tech
Friday, January 16
MTEN: Middle Tennessee vs Lipscomb
Friday, January 16
