Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Sunday, April 24
Norfolk, Va.
10:00 a.m.
Middle Tennessee
4
vs
3
Charlotte
Photo by: Keith Lucas/Sideline Media
Three-Peat! No. 18 Blue Raiders Defend Back-to-Back Conference USA Titles
4/24/2022 5:02:00 PM | Men's Tennis
NORFOLK, Va. – Sunday afternoon at the Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center was a sight to behold, as the No. 18 Middle Tennessee men's tennis program (27-4) captured their third-straight Conference USA Championship defeating 3-seed/No. 47 Charlotte 4-3.
"I am extremely proud of this group. They have bought into our culture and they are true competitors. We will enjoy this win and are looking forward to getting to work later in the week as we have some areas to improve," said Head Coach Jimmy Borendame. "There were so many key contributors on and off the court this week, but for me, the hero was Chris Edge. He didn't practice all week with an injury. Then, with one hit around, he jumps in and helps push us across the finish line, he is amazing. The real postseason begins now, and we plan on making a run in NCAA's." said Borendame.
The win today marks Borendame's 200th at the helm of the Blue Raiders, the second coach in MT history to reach that milestone.
"This weekend was another proof of our team toughness and cohesion. We didn't play anywhere near our best tennis, but we always kept fighting and never had any doubts," said Assistant Coach Andrea Caligiana. "Everyone can win when playing their best tennis, winning when playing bad is a great sign. We coaches are extremely proud of these boys." Said Caligiana.
With the win, the Blue Raiders become the third team in C-USA men's tennis history to win the conference title three times in a row (Tulane 2003-05 & Tulsa 2006-09). Middle Tennessee also earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament beginning May 6-8, the Raiders await to see where we will be placed at the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, May 2, the show can be found on NCAA.com.
After Sunday's 10th ranked win on the 2022 Spring season over No. 47 Charlotte, MT will be in contention to host a NCAA Regional at the Adams Tennis Complex on those dates mentioned above. The top 16 ranked teams at the end of the conference tournament portion of the schedule have the ability to host, the Raiders sit at No. 18 currently according to the latest ITA computerized rankings.
In the match against CLT, Middle Tennessee concluded doubles competition to kick off the championship dual match in less than 30 minutes. Graduate Students Edge and Stepan Holis won in dominant fashion at 6-1 to move to 21-4 as a duo on the season. No. 54 Francisco Rocha and Oskar Brostrom Poulsen clinched the point for MT on the top court at 6-2. With today's double victory, the Blue Raiders earned the doubles point in 26 of 31 (.838) matches completed this Spring.
In singles competition, the Blue Raiders rode their hot hand from doubles and picked up four of six first sets over the 49ers. Rocha and Edge were the only Raiders to drop the first round.
Middle Tennessee picked up their second point on the afternoon as Senior Pavel Motl defeated Abhimanyu Vannemredd in straight 6-1 sets.
Zasova, Czech Republic native Stepan Holis extended the MT lead to three with a straight sets 6-2, 6-1 victory over Coy Simon for his second individual win in the match.
Once Middle Tennessee obtained a three-point advantage, CLT mounted a huge comeback picking up three-straight points on court Nos. 3, 5, and 2 in that order to tie the match at three all with court No. 1 remaining.
No. 71 Stijn Slump was the lone Raider standing on the top-flight against CLT's Thomas Brown. Slump took the first set at 7-6 (7-4) but dropped a lopsided second set at 0-6 against Brown to create a standoff in the dual match. After both compeititors grinded out a 4-4 third set, Slump pulled away taking the final two games finishing the match with a 6-4 win, followed by a dogpile from his teammates awaiting him as Slump hit the ground in celebration.
Next Up
No. 18 MT will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Tournament on May 6-8. The Raiders await their placement in the tournament, announced on the NCAA Selection Show on May 2, more details on where the Blue Raiders will be playing will be found on NCAA.com on that date.
Make sure to follow MT men's tennis on social media sites mentioned below for the most up-to-date information regarding the team.
Singles competition
1. #71 SLUMP, Stijn (MTSU) def. Thomas Brown (CLT) 7-6, 0-6, 6-4
2. Stefanos Savva (CLT) def. #80 ROCHA, Francisco (MTSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
3. Mikhail Sokolovskiy (CLT) def. EDGE, Chris (MTSU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
4. HOLIS, Stepan (MTSU) def. Coy Simon (CLT) 6-1, 6-2
5. Vasco Prata (CLT) def. POULSEN, Oskar (MTSU) 0-6, 6-3, 6-3
6. MOTL, Pavel (MTSU) def. Abhimanyu Vannemredd (CLT) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: Singles (6,4,3,5,2,1)
Doubles competition
1. #54 POULSEN, Oskar/ROCHA, Francisco (MTSU) def. T. Brown/M. Sokolovskiy (CLT) 6-2
2. MOTL, Pavel/SLUMP, Stijn (MTSU) vs. C. Simon/A. Vannemredd (CLT) 4-2, unfinished
3. EDGE, Chris/HOLIS, Stepan (MTSU) def. S. Savva/V. Prata (CLT) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1)
Follow us
Follow Middle Tennessee men's tennis on social media - Facebook (BlueRaiderMensTennis), Twitter (MT_MensTennis) and Instagram (MT_MensTennis).
"I am extremely proud of this group. They have bought into our culture and they are true competitors. We will enjoy this win and are looking forward to getting to work later in the week as we have some areas to improve," said Head Coach Jimmy Borendame. "There were so many key contributors on and off the court this week, but for me, the hero was Chris Edge. He didn't practice all week with an injury. Then, with one hit around, he jumps in and helps push us across the finish line, he is amazing. The real postseason begins now, and we plan on making a run in NCAA's." said Borendame.
The win today marks Borendame's 200th at the helm of the Blue Raiders, the second coach in MT history to reach that milestone.
"This weekend was another proof of our team toughness and cohesion. We didn't play anywhere near our best tennis, but we always kept fighting and never had any doubts," said Assistant Coach Andrea Caligiana. "Everyone can win when playing their best tennis, winning when playing bad is a great sign. We coaches are extremely proud of these boys." Said Caligiana.
With the win, the Blue Raiders become the third team in C-USA men's tennis history to win the conference title three times in a row (Tulane 2003-05 & Tulsa 2006-09). Middle Tennessee also earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament beginning May 6-8, the Raiders await to see where we will be placed at the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, May 2, the show can be found on NCAA.com.
After Sunday's 10th ranked win on the 2022 Spring season over No. 47 Charlotte, MT will be in contention to host a NCAA Regional at the Adams Tennis Complex on those dates mentioned above. The top 16 ranked teams at the end of the conference tournament portion of the schedule have the ability to host, the Raiders sit at No. 18 currently according to the latest ITA computerized rankings.
In the match against CLT, Middle Tennessee concluded doubles competition to kick off the championship dual match in less than 30 minutes. Graduate Students Edge and Stepan Holis won in dominant fashion at 6-1 to move to 21-4 as a duo on the season. No. 54 Francisco Rocha and Oskar Brostrom Poulsen clinched the point for MT on the top court at 6-2. With today's double victory, the Blue Raiders earned the doubles point in 26 of 31 (.838) matches completed this Spring.
In singles competition, the Blue Raiders rode their hot hand from doubles and picked up four of six first sets over the 49ers. Rocha and Edge were the only Raiders to drop the first round.
Middle Tennessee picked up their second point on the afternoon as Senior Pavel Motl defeated Abhimanyu Vannemredd in straight 6-1 sets.
Zasova, Czech Republic native Stepan Holis extended the MT lead to three with a straight sets 6-2, 6-1 victory over Coy Simon for his second individual win in the match.
Once Middle Tennessee obtained a three-point advantage, CLT mounted a huge comeback picking up three-straight points on court Nos. 3, 5, and 2 in that order to tie the match at three all with court No. 1 remaining.
No. 71 Stijn Slump was the lone Raider standing on the top-flight against CLT's Thomas Brown. Slump took the first set at 7-6 (7-4) but dropped a lopsided second set at 0-6 against Brown to create a standoff in the dual match. After both compeititors grinded out a 4-4 third set, Slump pulled away taking the final two games finishing the match with a 6-4 win, followed by a dogpile from his teammates awaiting him as Slump hit the ground in celebration.
Next Up
No. 18 MT will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Tournament on May 6-8. The Raiders await their placement in the tournament, announced on the NCAA Selection Show on May 2, more details on where the Blue Raiders will be playing will be found on NCAA.com on that date.
Make sure to follow MT men's tennis on social media sites mentioned below for the most up-to-date information regarding the team.
Singles competition
1. #71 SLUMP, Stijn (MTSU) def. Thomas Brown (CLT) 7-6, 0-6, 6-4
2. Stefanos Savva (CLT) def. #80 ROCHA, Francisco (MTSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
3. Mikhail Sokolovskiy (CLT) def. EDGE, Chris (MTSU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
4. HOLIS, Stepan (MTSU) def. Coy Simon (CLT) 6-1, 6-2
5. Vasco Prata (CLT) def. POULSEN, Oskar (MTSU) 0-6, 6-3, 6-3
6. MOTL, Pavel (MTSU) def. Abhimanyu Vannemredd (CLT) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: Singles (6,4,3,5,2,1)
Doubles competition
1. #54 POULSEN, Oskar/ROCHA, Francisco (MTSU) def. T. Brown/M. Sokolovskiy (CLT) 6-2
2. MOTL, Pavel/SLUMP, Stijn (MTSU) vs. C. Simon/A. Vannemredd (CLT) 4-2, unfinished
3. EDGE, Chris/HOLIS, Stepan (MTSU) def. S. Savva/V. Prata (CLT) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1)
Follow us
Follow Middle Tennessee men's tennis on social media - Facebook (BlueRaiderMensTennis), Twitter (MT_MensTennis) and Instagram (MT_MensTennis).
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1
#1 Singles Match
123
Thomas Brown / 0 [CLT]
664
706
#2 Singles Match
123
Stefanos Savva / 0 [CLT]
646
464
#3 Singles Match
123
Mikhail Sokolovskiy / 0 [CLT]
646
164
#4 Singles Match
12
Coy Simon / 0 [CLT]
12
66
#5 Singles Match
123
Vasco Prata / 0 [CLT]
066
633
#6 Singles Match
12
Abhimanyu Vannemredd / 0 [CLT]
11
66
Order of Finish:
6,4,3,5,2,1
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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