Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
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Blue Raiders Collect Multiple Conference USA Honors
5/11/2021 12:02:00 PM | Men's Tennis, BRAA
Francisco Rocha Named Player of the Year, Borendame is Coach of the Year
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee men's tennis was the dominant team in Conference USA this season and it showed, Tuesday afternoon, as the Blue Raiders picked up numerous honors and awards from the conference.
Francisco Rocha picked up the biggest award as he was named Conference USA Player of the Year and to the All-Conference Singles First Team.
Chris Edge joined Rocha on the All-Conference Singles First Team and along with Tom Moonen was named to the All-Conference Doubles Second Team as well as being named Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship.
Stijn Slump and Pavel Motl were named to the All-Conference Doubles First Team while Slump was also selected to the All-Conference Singles First Team and named Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship.
Rounding out the awards is Head Coach Jimmy Borendame, who was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for the third straight season.
After not being a part of the singles lineup two years ago for the Raiders' first Conference USA championship run, Rocha worked his way up to the No. 1 position, including the final nine matches of the season. He went 13-6 overall this spring, including a 5-4 record at No. 1, 3-1 at No. 2, and 5-1 at No. 3, earning Conference USA Player of the Week honors three times in the process. The junior had some huge wins this season including beating the #2 Player in the Country and fellow Portugal native Daniel Rodrigues of South Carolina back in the fall.
Edge earns a spot on the singles first team for the second straight season after going 15-6 this season. His most dominating stretch of the season came in the Conference USA Championship where he went 3-0, dropping just 11 games in the three days. The senior also had big wins this season against Iowa, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Louisville, Depaul, and South Florida.
In doubles with Moonen, the pair went 16-6 this spring. Some of their big wins included victories over Iowa, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt (2x), Louisville, Alabama, South Florida, and Tulane in the NCAA Tournament. In the Conference USA Championships, the duo went 3-0, winning 6-4 over UAB, 6-4 over Charlotte, and 6-2 over Old Dominion in the finals, helping secure the doubles point for the Blue Raiders in all three matches of the championship.
Slump earns a spot on the second team for singles after having a breakout season, going 16-5, playing at No. 2 and 3 all season. He closed the year out strong, going 12-2 in his final 15 matches, including wins over Vanderbilt (2x), Louisville, Auburn, Alabama, and Memphis. 10 of those 12 wins in that stretch came in straight sets while his only two losses both went three sets. He was named Conference USA Player of the Week after picking up a couple of wins at #31 Alabama.
In the Conference USA Championships, he went 2-0 with two straight-set victories at No. 2. Against Charlotte in the semifinals, he clinched the deciding point with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the finals against ODU, Slump earned the Raiders' third point of the day with a 7-5, 7-5 win. His big moment in the final came when he saved four set points down 0-40 at 4-5 in the second set.
Pairing with Motl, the duo went 9-11 at the No. 1 doubles position this spring and are currently ranked #77 in the nation. They picked up wins against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt (2x), Alabama, and South Florida. Their win against Mississippi State was against the 28th ranked team in the country while their win over South Florida came against the 14th ranked doubles team. In the Conference USA Championships, after their first two matches went unfinished, they made sure they were the first team off the courts in the finals against Old Dominion, defeating the #60 ranked pair in the country, 6-0, helping the Raiders earn the doubles point and eventually the Conference USA title.
For Borendame, this is his third straight Coach of the Year award and his fifth overall, with two coming when the Raiders were in the Sun Belt. He helped lead the Raiders to their second-straight Conference USA title and 17-8 overall record with wins over Iowa, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt (2x), Louisville, DePaul, and South Florida. Rocha reached #35 in the ITA Singles Rankings which is the highest in the 11 years under Borendame. The Blue Raiders this season also showed their strength in the classroom as they had four out of the six selections to the Conference USA All-Academic Team.
Francisco Rocha picked up the biggest award as he was named Conference USA Player of the Year and to the All-Conference Singles First Team.
Chris Edge joined Rocha on the All-Conference Singles First Team and along with Tom Moonen was named to the All-Conference Doubles Second Team as well as being named Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship.
Stijn Slump and Pavel Motl were named to the All-Conference Doubles First Team while Slump was also selected to the All-Conference Singles First Team and named Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship.
Rounding out the awards is Head Coach Jimmy Borendame, who was named Conference USA Coach of the Year for the third straight season.
After not being a part of the singles lineup two years ago for the Raiders' first Conference USA championship run, Rocha worked his way up to the No. 1 position, including the final nine matches of the season. He went 13-6 overall this spring, including a 5-4 record at No. 1, 3-1 at No. 2, and 5-1 at No. 3, earning Conference USA Player of the Week honors three times in the process. The junior had some huge wins this season including beating the #2 Player in the Country and fellow Portugal native Daniel Rodrigues of South Carolina back in the fall.
Edge earns a spot on the singles first team for the second straight season after going 15-6 this season. His most dominating stretch of the season came in the Conference USA Championship where he went 3-0, dropping just 11 games in the three days. The senior also had big wins this season against Iowa, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Louisville, Depaul, and South Florida.
In doubles with Moonen, the pair went 16-6 this spring. Some of their big wins included victories over Iowa, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt (2x), Louisville, Alabama, South Florida, and Tulane in the NCAA Tournament. In the Conference USA Championships, the duo went 3-0, winning 6-4 over UAB, 6-4 over Charlotte, and 6-2 over Old Dominion in the finals, helping secure the doubles point for the Blue Raiders in all three matches of the championship.
Slump earns a spot on the second team for singles after having a breakout season, going 16-5, playing at No. 2 and 3 all season. He closed the year out strong, going 12-2 in his final 15 matches, including wins over Vanderbilt (2x), Louisville, Auburn, Alabama, and Memphis. 10 of those 12 wins in that stretch came in straight sets while his only two losses both went three sets. He was named Conference USA Player of the Week after picking up a couple of wins at #31 Alabama.
In the Conference USA Championships, he went 2-0 with two straight-set victories at No. 2. Against Charlotte in the semifinals, he clinched the deciding point with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the finals against ODU, Slump earned the Raiders' third point of the day with a 7-5, 7-5 win. His big moment in the final came when he saved four set points down 0-40 at 4-5 in the second set.
Pairing with Motl, the duo went 9-11 at the No. 1 doubles position this spring and are currently ranked #77 in the nation. They picked up wins against Mississippi State, Vanderbilt (2x), Alabama, and South Florida. Their win against Mississippi State was against the 28th ranked team in the country while their win over South Florida came against the 14th ranked doubles team. In the Conference USA Championships, after their first two matches went unfinished, they made sure they were the first team off the courts in the finals against Old Dominion, defeating the #60 ranked pair in the country, 6-0, helping the Raiders earn the doubles point and eventually the Conference USA title.
For Borendame, this is his third straight Coach of the Year award and his fifth overall, with two coming when the Raiders were in the Sun Belt. He helped lead the Raiders to their second-straight Conference USA title and 17-8 overall record with wins over Iowa, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt (2x), Louisville, DePaul, and South Florida. Rocha reached #35 in the ITA Singles Rankings which is the highest in the 11 years under Borendame. The Blue Raiders this season also showed their strength in the classroom as they had four out of the six selections to the Conference USA All-Academic Team.
Players Mentioned
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