Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
"I want it to be an experience” - Big crowd gives edge to Blue Raider Men’s Tennis
1/14/2023 1:23:00 PM | Men's Tennis
"I've never experienced a crowd that loud.” - Oskar Brostrom Poulsen
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Entering the third set on Court No. 3, Oskar Brostrom Poulsen needed an edge. After a dominant first set win (6-1) against Michigan State's Anthony Pero, the Danish international had dropped the second 3-6 and was looking for an edge.
Perhaps he wasn't expecting that edge to come so literally, from former Blue Raider men's tennis teammate turned Blue Raider men's golf graduate assistant Chris Edge, who sat in the stands at the ATC, where most of the dozens of Blue Raiders had assembled to watch Brostrom Poulsen go for the clinch against the Spartans.
"OZZIE! OZZIE! OZZIE!" Edge chanted after his former teammate hit a winner
"OI! OI! OI!" the crowd responded.
"OZZIE! OZZIE! OZZIE!"
"OI! OI! OI!"
On and on it went, delighting both the fans in the stands and Brostrom Poulsen, who couldn't help but laugh on the court.
"The crowd makes a massive difference for me as a player," Brostrom Poulsen said after securing the Blue Raiders' 6-1 win with a 6-3 in the final set. "And getting the crowd behind me like that was absolutely key for me to start believing in my game, (as well as) getting a little bit into his head with the crowd, so I think that was a big, big key for me."
Perhaps no moment better captured the type of fun Blue Raiders every home weekend at the Adams Tennis Complex, where Head Coach Jimmy Borendame has put in the work to create the best home environment in collegiate tennis, offering a spectator experience that gives his team a critical edge on the court, while giving Blue Raider fans a fun evening off of it.
On Friday night, there were two different giveaways with Conference Title T-shirts and beer coozies available to anyone who walked up. Sweet T's Barbeque had food available outside, while the Boulevard provided drinks for everyone inside. Combine that with the actual tennis on the courts, topping out with six matches being played simultaneously, always giving everyone something to watch, and you have a night that's hard to pass up if you're a Murfreesboro sports fan.
"I want it to be an experience," Borendame said. "You walk in and it's exciting to be a part of. There's food, there's drinks, there's shirts, there's friends, it's a very social atmosphere up top.
"And sometimes, we win."
Borendame is perhaps too humble talking about his team's record. Despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the country year-in-and-year-out, MTSU went 13-1 at home last season after an undefeated 11-0 year in 2021 and an 8-0 record in 2020. And the Blue Raiders' success is undeniably part of the appeal of attending men's tennis match at the Adams Tennis Center.
But while the high level of play might be what gets people in the door, what keeps people coming back is the community Borendame has built. Parents can enjoy $3 drinks at the bar, while the kids enjoy ping pong within eye's sight on the upper floor. Tennis diehards can chant with Edge, while tennis novices can pick up on nuances from generous fans.
It also helps that the dual match format for NCAA tennis creates constant action. Starting with a doubles point contested on three courts simultaneously, the team that wins two of three matches earns the doubles point. Singles follows by six singles matches on six courts, again simultaneously, with a point for each singles win. The first team to total four points wins the overall match.
It's a format that lets fans switch between matches quite easily, while also encouraging folks to be social in between the doubles and singles points and well after singles play gets underway.
The large crowds also help Borendame out on the recruiting trail, as Brostrom Poulsen can attest.
"When I came to college, I was like 'Ok, how many can show up?'," Brostrom Poulsen said. "By being indoors, it gets so loud. And when you're at home, it's a massive advantage. (On the road), the average crowd is not even half of what we have. It's maybe a fourth of our crowd."
The Blue Raiders will have 14 more home matches at the ATC this spring, and Borendame expects they'll have a traveling party on the road for a few close by matches as well. He only hopes that the community built to help his team continues to grow.
"Once somebody gets here and sees it and is like 'Wow, this is pretty cool.'" Boredame said. "'It's free, I got a t-shirt, I got a beer coozie, I can go get a couple of chicken fingers, they're selling $3 beers from The Boulevard. And if this match over here is boring, I can turn over here and this one is exciting.'
"Once we get them, we get our forks and our claws in them and then they're hooked."
Perhaps he wasn't expecting that edge to come so literally, from former Blue Raider men's tennis teammate turned Blue Raider men's golf graduate assistant Chris Edge, who sat in the stands at the ATC, where most of the dozens of Blue Raiders had assembled to watch Brostrom Poulsen go for the clinch against the Spartans.
"OZZIE! OZZIE! OZZIE!" Edge chanted after his former teammate hit a winner
"OI! OI! OI!" the crowd responded.
"OZZIE! OZZIE! OZZIE!"
"OI! OI! OI!"
On and on it went, delighting both the fans in the stands and Brostrom Poulsen, who couldn't help but laugh on the court.
"The crowd makes a massive difference for me as a player," Brostrom Poulsen said after securing the Blue Raiders' 6-1 win with a 6-3 in the final set. "And getting the crowd behind me like that was absolutely key for me to start believing in my game, (as well as) getting a little bit into his head with the crowd, so I think that was a big, big key for me."
Perhaps no moment better captured the type of fun Blue Raiders every home weekend at the Adams Tennis Complex, where Head Coach Jimmy Borendame has put in the work to create the best home environment in collegiate tennis, offering a spectator experience that gives his team a critical edge on the court, while giving Blue Raider fans a fun evening off of it.
On Friday night, there were two different giveaways with Conference Title T-shirts and beer coozies available to anyone who walked up. Sweet T's Barbeque had food available outside, while the Boulevard provided drinks for everyone inside. Combine that with the actual tennis on the courts, topping out with six matches being played simultaneously, always giving everyone something to watch, and you have a night that's hard to pass up if you're a Murfreesboro sports fan.
"I want it to be an experience," Borendame said. "You walk in and it's exciting to be a part of. There's food, there's drinks, there's shirts, there's friends, it's a very social atmosphere up top.
"And sometimes, we win."
Borendame is perhaps too humble talking about his team's record. Despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the country year-in-and-year-out, MTSU went 13-1 at home last season after an undefeated 11-0 year in 2021 and an 8-0 record in 2020. And the Blue Raiders' success is undeniably part of the appeal of attending men's tennis match at the Adams Tennis Center.
But while the high level of play might be what gets people in the door, what keeps people coming back is the community Borendame has built. Parents can enjoy $3 drinks at the bar, while the kids enjoy ping pong within eye's sight on the upper floor. Tennis diehards can chant with Edge, while tennis novices can pick up on nuances from generous fans.
It also helps that the dual match format for NCAA tennis creates constant action. Starting with a doubles point contested on three courts simultaneously, the team that wins two of three matches earns the doubles point. Singles follows by six singles matches on six courts, again simultaneously, with a point for each singles win. The first team to total four points wins the overall match.
It's a format that lets fans switch between matches quite easily, while also encouraging folks to be social in between the doubles and singles points and well after singles play gets underway.
The large crowds also help Borendame out on the recruiting trail, as Brostrom Poulsen can attest.
"When I came to college, I was like 'Ok, how many can show up?'," Brostrom Poulsen said. "By being indoors, it gets so loud. And when you're at home, it's a massive advantage. (On the road), the average crowd is not even half of what we have. It's maybe a fourth of our crowd."
The Blue Raiders will have 14 more home matches at the ATC this spring, and Borendame expects they'll have a traveling party on the road for a few close by matches as well. He only hopes that the community built to help his team continues to grow.
"Once somebody gets here and sees it and is like 'Wow, this is pretty cool.'" Boredame said. "'It's free, I got a t-shirt, I got a beer coozie, I can go get a couple of chicken fingers, they're selling $3 beers from The Boulevard. And if this match over here is boring, I can turn over here and this one is exciting.'
"Once we get them, we get our forks and our claws in them and then they're hooked."
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
MTSU Tennis Pro-Am 9/6/25
Tuesday, September 09
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
Men's Tennis NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on 04/28/25
Tuesday, April 29
MTSU Men's Tennis CUSA Championship vs Liberty Recap on 04/20/25
Wednesday, April 23
