Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Lady Raiders look to continue impressive turnaround into 2021
1/21/2021 9:45:00 AM | Women's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Following a disappointing 11-13 record in 2019, the Middle Tennessee women's tennis team came out and put the rest of Conference USA on notice when it got off to a blazing-hot 9-5 start to begin the 2020 season.
It was easy to see head coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall's culture was catching on during her second season at MT. However, disaster struck at an inopportune time, as the COVID-19 pandemic halted the rolling Blue Raiders train.
The young but upstart Raiders didn't keep that train stuck on the tracks for long, taking advantage of the long offseason to continue coming together as a group. The improved chemistry showed in the fall, as their core group of competitors combined for over 20 singles and 20 doubles wins in just three events.
"We were lucky to be able play this fall with some of the COVID restrictions," Bailey-Duvall said. "We got together with some of the teams in the state and got some matches in. Having the season end early last season was unfortunate. We had a lot of momentum, and the girls were playing well and things were starting to click for them. Overall, we're just really fired up to get going this spring."
Perhaps the most promising thing for the Blue Raiders in 2021 is the return of the bulk of its nucleus, only losing senior Marta Peris-Herrero to graduation. They have a good mix of both veterans and upstart young talent.
"Lidia [Burrows] and the [Barnard] twins are pretty experienced and have been getting better each year and have really understood our philosophy and style of play and have guided and shown the underclassmen what the team is about," Bailey-Duvall said. "Noelle [Mauro] is a really hard worker and has taken in a lot from some of the older players, especially in doubles. My vision for Muskan [Gupta] is that she can play toward the top of the lineup with her steady game style and steady mentality out there. She doesn't get high or low emotionally. We also have Love-Star [Alexis] who's almost sort of a secret weapon because people haven't seen her play and she's really good and really powerful.
"It's really exciting to see the mix of talent that we have."
Returning as a graduate student in 2021, the veteran Burrows looks to help with the development of the young talent while also continuing the run she went on last season. The England native had an impressive 11-2 mark in singles play last year and added five wins in doubles to lead the team with a total of 16 matches won.
Along with twins Lee and Zani Barnard, Burrows looks to shore up one of the top three spots in the lineup.
"I was really shocked last spring to win as many in a row as I did," Burrows said. "[The momentum] that came from it was massive for me. I thought it was going to be my last season, so I just wanted to put it all out there. Coming into this spring, I'd really like to recreate what I did last year, because that run was definitely a confidence booster."
One spot that the Blue Raiders will look to improve this season is doubles play, where they were 17-16 a year ago. Being able to solidify the doubles point each match will help give the team an obvious early edge they can use to their advantage against some of the tougher opponents on the schedule.
During the fall, the MT showed improvement in this aspect. Five different players had at least two more wins than losses in doubles play, including a combined 19-11 record from Burrows, Lee Barnard, Zani Barnard and Gupta, who look to be the four ladies in the top two doubles pairings at the start of the season.
"I think the consistency helped us improve [in doubles] this fall," Burrows said. "I think this fall we've definitely found three to four good, strong pairings that we can use this spring. [Coach Bailey-Duvall] puts a lot of emphasis on doubles in practice, because that first point sets the momentum for you to go on and win the overall match. We've trusted each other really well, so we look to continue that this spring."
Overall, the one word to sum up the feeling this preseason for Middle Tennessee is "eager." Gupta's and Mauro's improvement, along with the return of the Barnards and Burrows, look to propel the team forward, and with a little luck, a promising freshman or two may turn some heads.
There's plenty to look forward to, and both fans and players alike are ready to see what this year can bring for the Blue Raiders. It's been a long road since the disappointing 2019 season, and if 2020 was any indication of what kind of impressive turnaround is yet to come for this team, you'd better get off the tracks, because this MT train isn't stopping.
"With the [Barnard] twins, Muskan and everyone else at the top of our lineup, we're going to be really strong this year," Burrows said. "Everyone is gelling together, and we're really eager and excited to get started and see if we can compete against some of the tougher teams at the beginning of the season."
Middle Tennessee begins its season Saturday at the Adams Tennis Complex against in-state foe Vanderbilt at noon. To see the complete schedule, click here.
Anthony Fiorella is a writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @a_fiorella74 and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
It was easy to see head coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall's culture was catching on during her second season at MT. However, disaster struck at an inopportune time, as the COVID-19 pandemic halted the rolling Blue Raiders train.
The young but upstart Raiders didn't keep that train stuck on the tracks for long, taking advantage of the long offseason to continue coming together as a group. The improved chemistry showed in the fall, as their core group of competitors combined for over 20 singles and 20 doubles wins in just three events.
"We were lucky to be able play this fall with some of the COVID restrictions," Bailey-Duvall said. "We got together with some of the teams in the state and got some matches in. Having the season end early last season was unfortunate. We had a lot of momentum, and the girls were playing well and things were starting to click for them. Overall, we're just really fired up to get going this spring."
Perhaps the most promising thing for the Blue Raiders in 2021 is the return of the bulk of its nucleus, only losing senior Marta Peris-Herrero to graduation. They have a good mix of both veterans and upstart young talent.
"Lidia [Burrows] and the [Barnard] twins are pretty experienced and have been getting better each year and have really understood our philosophy and style of play and have guided and shown the underclassmen what the team is about," Bailey-Duvall said. "Noelle [Mauro] is a really hard worker and has taken in a lot from some of the older players, especially in doubles. My vision for Muskan [Gupta] is that she can play toward the top of the lineup with her steady game style and steady mentality out there. She doesn't get high or low emotionally. We also have Love-Star [Alexis] who's almost sort of a secret weapon because people haven't seen her play and she's really good and really powerful.
"It's really exciting to see the mix of talent that we have."
Returning as a graduate student in 2021, the veteran Burrows looks to help with the development of the young talent while also continuing the run she went on last season. The England native had an impressive 11-2 mark in singles play last year and added five wins in doubles to lead the team with a total of 16 matches won.
Along with twins Lee and Zani Barnard, Burrows looks to shore up one of the top three spots in the lineup.
"I was really shocked last spring to win as many in a row as I did," Burrows said. "[The momentum] that came from it was massive for me. I thought it was going to be my last season, so I just wanted to put it all out there. Coming into this spring, I'd really like to recreate what I did last year, because that run was definitely a confidence booster."
One spot that the Blue Raiders will look to improve this season is doubles play, where they were 17-16 a year ago. Being able to solidify the doubles point each match will help give the team an obvious early edge they can use to their advantage against some of the tougher opponents on the schedule.
During the fall, the MT showed improvement in this aspect. Five different players had at least two more wins than losses in doubles play, including a combined 19-11 record from Burrows, Lee Barnard, Zani Barnard and Gupta, who look to be the four ladies in the top two doubles pairings at the start of the season.
"I think the consistency helped us improve [in doubles] this fall," Burrows said. "I think this fall we've definitely found three to four good, strong pairings that we can use this spring. [Coach Bailey-Duvall] puts a lot of emphasis on doubles in practice, because that first point sets the momentum for you to go on and win the overall match. We've trusted each other really well, so we look to continue that this spring."
Overall, the one word to sum up the feeling this preseason for Middle Tennessee is "eager." Gupta's and Mauro's improvement, along with the return of the Barnards and Burrows, look to propel the team forward, and with a little luck, a promising freshman or two may turn some heads.
There's plenty to look forward to, and both fans and players alike are ready to see what this year can bring for the Blue Raiders. It's been a long road since the disappointing 2019 season, and if 2020 was any indication of what kind of impressive turnaround is yet to come for this team, you'd better get off the tracks, because this MT train isn't stopping.
"With the [Barnard] twins, Muskan and everyone else at the top of our lineup, we're going to be really strong this year," Burrows said. "Everyone is gelling together, and we're really eager and excited to get started and see if we can compete against some of the tougher teams at the beginning of the season."
Middle Tennessee begins its season Saturday at the Adams Tennis Complex against in-state foe Vanderbilt at noon. To see the complete schedule, click here.
Anthony Fiorella is a writer for goblueraiders.com. Follow him on Twitter @a_fiorella74 and also follow @MTAthletics for more on the Blue Raiders.
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