Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Vanderbilt
No Fluke Here! Raiders Take Down Vanderbilt Again
3/14/2021 12:25:00 PM | Men's Tennis
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Even the weather cannot slow down the 37th-ranked Middle Tennessee men's tennis team.
On a day that started outdoors, but finished indoors, the Blue Raiders came out on top over the Vanderbilt Commodores, 5-2. After not beating Vandy in the previous 15 years, the Raiders have now beaten their in-state rival twice in the last nine days.
MTSU improves to 11-4 on the season while the Commodores fall to 4-9.
In doubles action outdoors, Tom Moonen and Chris Edge were the first to finish, earning a 6-2 victory at second doubles. After Vandy took third doubles, Stijn Slump and Pavel Motl clinched the point for the Raiders with a 6-3 win.
After a couple of games were played in singles, the skies opened up, forcing the match to be moved indoors, but that certainly didn't stop the Blue Raiders.
Francisco Rocha easily won his match as he did not drop a game, winning, 6-0, 6-0.
Slump quickly followed with a 6-4, 6-1 win to put the Raiders up 3-0 in the match, needing just one more win for the overall match victory.
Vanderbilt responded with wins at first and fourth singles to get back within 3-2, but Motl clinched the match for the Raiders at fifth singles. After winning the first set and the second set tied at four, the junior broke his opponent's serve, taking a 5-4 lead, before serving it out for the match.
With the match in hand, Max Rauch, whose match was delayed as Vandy only has five indoor courts, added another point for the Raiders with a 6-3, 6-1 victory at sixth singles.
The Raiders will be back in action, Friday, when they travel to Tuscaloosa to take on #28 Alabama.
Players Mentioned
