Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, February 5
Murfreesboro, TN
5 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Rice
Men's Tennis preview: Rice & Virginia Tech
2/3/2021 6:30:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Blue Raiders have one home and one away
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Fresh off of a win over Austin Peay, the Middle Tennessee men's tennis team returns to action for a Friday afternoon showdown with Conference USA foe Rice and a Sunday morning road trip to Virginia Tech.
The ATC will be limited to 10 percent attendance and early arrival will be highly encouraged. Fans are reminded that masks must be worn at all times and to socially distance in a safe manner.
Match 6: Middle Tennessee (3-2, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Rice (2-3, 0-0 C-USA)
» Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 – 5 p.m. CST
» Adams Tennis Complex – Murfreesboro, TN
Match 7: Middle Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech (1-1, 0-0 ACC)
» Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021 – 9 a.m. CST
» Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center – Blacksburg, VA
About the Blue Raiders
» A dominant doubles point and six straight-set singles victories propelled Middle Tennessee past Austin Peay 7-0 Sunday for its 20th straight home win at the Adams Tennis Complex.
» The Blue Raiders earned back-to-back Conference USA Player of the Week honors as Pavel Motl and his partner, Stijn Slump, earned their best victory in dual play, defeating No. 28-ranked Broska/Ocana of Mississippi State, 6-3.
» Francisco Rocha, a junior on the Middle Tennessee men's tennis team, has been named the Conference USA Player of the Week for his strong win against Iowa's Nikita Snezhko at the No. 3 singles court and a clinching doubles win with Max Rauch. That's his first of his career.
» A dominant performance in doubles and three straight-set victories in singles propelled the Middle Tennessee men's tennis team past Iowa, 4-0. The win earned the Raiders revenge over last year's loss against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
» Middle Tennessee swept singles play against Louisiana on its way to a rousing 6-1 win in the season opener.
» Eight players return from the 2020 roster, and MT also welcomed graduate transfer Oskar Michalek (Troy) and freshman Andreas Kramer.
» Oskar Michalek is ranked No. 102 in the ITA's top-125 singles rankings.
All-Time vs. Rice
» Middle Tennessee and Rice have met a total of 11 times, the last occurring in 2019. The Blue Raiders defeated the Owls in a tight 4-3 battle at home.
» The Blue Raiders lead the series, 6-5. The Blue Raider have won the last three meetings.
Scouting the Owls
» The Owls collected two victories with wins over Southland Conference teams Lamar (6-1) and New Orleans (4-2).
» Rice is led by Jacob Eskeland who plays at the No. 1 (3-0) and No. 2 (1-0) slots.
» The Owls (2-3) won for the first time away from the George R. Brown Tennis Center in their last nine matches. Rice's last win away from home came against Charlotte in the first round of the 2019 Conference USA Championship. They were 0-4 away from home in the shortened 2020 dual season.
All-Time vs. Virginia Tech
» Middle Tennessee owns a 5-4 lead in the all-time series, with the most recent result being an 4-3 Blue Raider win at home in 2013.
» The Blue Raiders and Hokies have traded wins and losses since the team's first met in 1994.
Scouting the Hokies
» The Hokies are 1-1. They downed C-USA foe Old Dominion 4-3 at home and lost in a tight match to No. 2 UNC in Chapel Hill, 4-3.
» VT will play at No. 19 Kentucky on Friday before hosting the Blue Raiders.
» Mitch Harper is set as the No. 38-ranked singles player in the ITA ranking system.
Visit www.GoBlueRaiders.com for the latest news and information on the Middle Tennessee men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/MTSUMensTennis and @MT_MensTennis on Twitter and @MT_MensTennis on Instagram.
The ATC will be limited to 10 percent attendance and early arrival will be highly encouraged. Fans are reminded that masks must be worn at all times and to socially distance in a safe manner.
Match 6: Middle Tennessee (3-2, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Rice (2-3, 0-0 C-USA)
» Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 – 5 p.m. CST
» Adams Tennis Complex – Murfreesboro, TN
Match 7: Middle Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech (1-1, 0-0 ACC)
» Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021 – 9 a.m. CST
» Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center – Blacksburg, VA
About the Blue Raiders
» A dominant doubles point and six straight-set singles victories propelled Middle Tennessee past Austin Peay 7-0 Sunday for its 20th straight home win at the Adams Tennis Complex.
» The Blue Raiders earned back-to-back Conference USA Player of the Week honors as Pavel Motl and his partner, Stijn Slump, earned their best victory in dual play, defeating No. 28-ranked Broska/Ocana of Mississippi State, 6-3.
» Francisco Rocha, a junior on the Middle Tennessee men's tennis team, has been named the Conference USA Player of the Week for his strong win against Iowa's Nikita Snezhko at the No. 3 singles court and a clinching doubles win with Max Rauch. That's his first of his career.
» A dominant performance in doubles and three straight-set victories in singles propelled the Middle Tennessee men's tennis team past Iowa, 4-0. The win earned the Raiders revenge over last year's loss against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
» Middle Tennessee swept singles play against Louisiana on its way to a rousing 6-1 win in the season opener.
» Eight players return from the 2020 roster, and MT also welcomed graduate transfer Oskar Michalek (Troy) and freshman Andreas Kramer.
» Oskar Michalek is ranked No. 102 in the ITA's top-125 singles rankings.
All-Time vs. Rice
» Middle Tennessee and Rice have met a total of 11 times, the last occurring in 2019. The Blue Raiders defeated the Owls in a tight 4-3 battle at home.
» The Blue Raiders lead the series, 6-5. The Blue Raider have won the last three meetings.
Scouting the Owls
» The Owls collected two victories with wins over Southland Conference teams Lamar (6-1) and New Orleans (4-2).
» Rice is led by Jacob Eskeland who plays at the No. 1 (3-0) and No. 2 (1-0) slots.
» The Owls (2-3) won for the first time away from the George R. Brown Tennis Center in their last nine matches. Rice's last win away from home came against Charlotte in the first round of the 2019 Conference USA Championship. They were 0-4 away from home in the shortened 2020 dual season.
All-Time vs. Virginia Tech
» Middle Tennessee owns a 5-4 lead in the all-time series, with the most recent result being an 4-3 Blue Raider win at home in 2013.
» The Blue Raiders and Hokies have traded wins and losses since the team's first met in 1994.
Scouting the Hokies
» The Hokies are 1-1. They downed C-USA foe Old Dominion 4-3 at home and lost in a tight match to No. 2 UNC in Chapel Hill, 4-3.
» VT will play at No. 19 Kentucky on Friday before hosting the Blue Raiders.
» Mitch Harper is set as the No. 38-ranked singles player in the ITA ranking system.
Visit www.GoBlueRaiders.com for the latest news and information on the Middle Tennessee men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/MTSUMensTennis and @MT_MensTennis on Twitter and @MT_MensTennis on Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
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