Blue Raiders Fall to Florida Atlantic in First Round of Conference USA Tournament

Thursday, April 21

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

3:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Florida Atlantic

Photo by: Emily Cole/MT Athletic Communications

4/21/2022 9:39:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Alex Morgan, MT Athletic Communications

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – 12-seed Middle Tennessee women's tennis (9-15, 1-6) concluded the 2021-22 season on Friday night at the Adams Tennis Complex, dropping their match at 4-0 against 5-seed/No. 69 Florida Atlantic in the opening round of the Conference USA Championship.

5-seed FAU will advance to face 4-seed Rice in the Quartefinals tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT, Rice defeated 13-seed UTSA earlier in the day at 4-0.

The Blue Raiders came out improved and fiery in doubles action against the Owls, which Head Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall mentioned earlier in the week was going to be a focal point in practice leading up to the tournament.

Senior Zani Barnard and Freshman Eloise Swarbrick battled on flight No. 2 against Millie-Mae Matthews and Greta Schieroni, falling on the wrong end of a 6-3 decision.

Senior Lee Barnard and Junior Noelle Mauro were up 4-3 late in the set before the Blue Raider court No. 3 ended at 6-1, giving the doubles point to FAU.

In singles play, FAU claimed four of six first sets over MT and rode momentum into the second set.

The Blue Raiders would prove resilience taking two second sets over FAU, both singles flights consisting of the Barnard twins attempting to prolong their collegiate careers.

FAU picked up additional points on court Nos. 4, 5, and 6, with wins over Lilly-Sophie Schmidt, Love-Star Alexis, and Mauro to meet the four-point threshold needed to secure the win over MT.

The Barnard twins will depart from MT with over 40 wins each in doubles and singles play, leaving behind a lasting legacy for current and future Blue Raiders. The Midstream, South Africa natives plan on obtaining an extended visa to pursue professional opportunities in the United States once they graduate from MT.

Singles competition
1. Kudelova, Martina (FAU-W) vs. Lee Barnard (MTSU) 6-3, 6-7, unfinished
2. Filip, Katerina (FAU-W) vs. Muskan Gupta (MTSU) 5-7, 6-0, 1-0, unfinished
3. Silna, Lexi (FAU-W) vs. Zani Barnard (MTSU) 6-3, 3-6, 2-1, unfinished
4. McGinnis, Amber (FAU-W) def. Love-Star Alexis (MTSU) 6-4, 6-3
5. Schieroni, Greta (FAU-W) def. Noelle Mauro (MTSU) 6-3, 7-5
6. Matthews, Millie-Mae (FAU-W) def. Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (MTSU) 6-2, 6-3
Order of finish: Singles (6,4,5)

Doubles competition
1. Filip, Katerina/Kudelova, Martina (FAU-W) vs. Lee Barnard/Noelle Mauro (MTSU) 3-4, unfinished
2. Schieroni, Greta/Matthews, Millie-Mae (FAU-W) def. Zani Barnard/Eloise Swarbrick (MTSU) 6-3
3. Silna, Lexi/Sommer, Carina (FAU-W) def. Love-Star Alexis/Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (MTSU) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2)

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