Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, March 25
5:00 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
vs
Texas Tech
Photo by: @MTAthletics
Ranked Raider Standoff on Friday Night at the Adams Tennis Complex
3/24/2022 4:22:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – It'll be a Raider showdown on Friday as the #22 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders host the #42 Texas Tech Red Raiders on the outside courts at the Adams Tennis Complex on Friday, March 25 at 5 p.m. CT.
The Blue Raiders come into Friday's match winners of their last 14 matches and have defeated seven power-5 programs on the season. Texas Tech is the second Big 12 Conference opponent faced this season, MT took down Oklahoma State 6-1 in Stillwater, however, this is the first B12 opponent to play in Murfreesboro in program history.
No. 90 Stijn Slump, named the March 23 Conference USA Athlete of the Week for the second time this season, is in excellent form recently. The Senior from the Netherlands has won seven-straight matches and is 15-5 overall on the season playing on court Nos. 1 and 2.
On March 20 against Rice, No. 86 Francisco Rocha dropped his first match since January 23 against No. 21 Mississippi State on the road. After that match, Rocha went on to win 11-straight singles matches until Sumit Sarkar snapped the streak last Sunday.
No. 123 Chris Edge is looking to get his edge back after dropping three of his last five matches in singles. Edge enters Friday's contest with the highest number of wins in both singles (17) and doubles (16) on the roster.
Zasova, Czech Republic native Stepan Holis will come into the match, riding the longest active singles win streak on the team. The Graduate Student has won his last nine matches on court No. 4, in that span he has performed over three clinching points giving MT the win.
Freshman Oskar Brostrom Poulsen has returned to form after his hand injury suffered in a win against No. 24 Auburn. The Denmark product has won his last four matches and in both matches last weekend he was the first Blue Raider to finish. Paired with Rocha on the top doubles court, the duo remains in the ITA Top 80 doubles pairings in the country coming in at No. 66.
Senior Pavel Motl is the anchor and leader of the team on court No. 6. After rebounding from a lingering shoulder, he has won six of his last seven matches.
Scouting the Red Raiders
No. 42 Texas Tech, described by MT Head Coach Jimmy Borendame, are "Extremely better than their ranking indicates." The Red Raiders signed a top-20 recruiting class in the nation coming into the season and none of those individuals are in their singles rotation. TTU is led by an upperclassman-heavy roster, like the Blue Raiders. Isaac Arevalo, Dimitrios Azoidis, and Reed Collier are the top players on the roster, together they sport a combined record of 25-8 in singles play. The Red Raiders have won seven of their last eight matches, with wins over Wichita State (x2), Penn State, No. 60 UTSA, Tulsa, Denver, and LSU.
Series History vs. TTU
Friday's match will be the ninth meeting between Texas Tech and Middle Tennessee, the Red Raiders hold a 6-2 lead over the Blue Raiders. Friday's match will also be the first time Texas Tech, or any other Big 12 institution, will have played in Murfreesboro in program history.
The Blue Raiders come into Friday's match winners of their last 14 matches and have defeated seven power-5 programs on the season. Texas Tech is the second Big 12 Conference opponent faced this season, MT took down Oklahoma State 6-1 in Stillwater, however, this is the first B12 opponent to play in Murfreesboro in program history.
No. 90 Stijn Slump, named the March 23 Conference USA Athlete of the Week for the second time this season, is in excellent form recently. The Senior from the Netherlands has won seven-straight matches and is 15-5 overall on the season playing on court Nos. 1 and 2.
On March 20 against Rice, No. 86 Francisco Rocha dropped his first match since January 23 against No. 21 Mississippi State on the road. After that match, Rocha went on to win 11-straight singles matches until Sumit Sarkar snapped the streak last Sunday.
No. 123 Chris Edge is looking to get his edge back after dropping three of his last five matches in singles. Edge enters Friday's contest with the highest number of wins in both singles (17) and doubles (16) on the roster.
Zasova, Czech Republic native Stepan Holis will come into the match, riding the longest active singles win streak on the team. The Graduate Student has won his last nine matches on court No. 4, in that span he has performed over three clinching points giving MT the win.
Freshman Oskar Brostrom Poulsen has returned to form after his hand injury suffered in a win against No. 24 Auburn. The Denmark product has won his last four matches and in both matches last weekend he was the first Blue Raider to finish. Paired with Rocha on the top doubles court, the duo remains in the ITA Top 80 doubles pairings in the country coming in at No. 66.
Senior Pavel Motl is the anchor and leader of the team on court No. 6. After rebounding from a lingering shoulder, he has won six of his last seven matches.
Scouting the Red Raiders
No. 42 Texas Tech, described by MT Head Coach Jimmy Borendame, are "Extremely better than their ranking indicates." The Red Raiders signed a top-20 recruiting class in the nation coming into the season and none of those individuals are in their singles rotation. TTU is led by an upperclassman-heavy roster, like the Blue Raiders. Isaac Arevalo, Dimitrios Azoidis, and Reed Collier are the top players on the roster, together they sport a combined record of 25-8 in singles play. The Red Raiders have won seven of their last eight matches, with wins over Wichita State (x2), Penn State, No. 60 UTSA, Tulsa, Denver, and LSU.
Series History vs. TTU
Friday's match will be the ninth meeting between Texas Tech and Middle Tennessee, the Red Raiders hold a 6-2 lead over the Blue Raiders. Friday's match will also be the first time Texas Tech, or any other Big 12 institution, will have played in Murfreesboro in program history.
Players Mentioned
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