Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Sunday, February 4
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
1 PM
Middle Tennessee
6
vs
1
Alabama A&M
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
12
Ntokozo Zungu / 0 [AAMU]
13
66
#2 Singles Match
12
Alicia Owegi / 0 [AAMU]
52
76
#3 Singles Match
12
Hannah Nagpall / 0 [AAMU]
02
66
#4 Singles Match
123
Arianda Ondo Cerezo / 0 [AAMU]
4610
636
#5 Singles Match
123
Camila Ruiz Diaz / 0 [AAMU]
3611
6313
#6 Singles Match
123
Sofia Sotelo Raya / 0 [AAMU]
638
4610
Order of Finish:
3,1,2,4,5,6
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Photo by: Michael Giglio/MT Athletic Communications
Blue Raider women’s tennis back in the win column with 6-1 victory over Alabama A&M
2/4/2024 4:20:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Murfreesboro, TENN. —Middle Tennessee women's tennis (4-3) ended the week on a high note by earning its first home win of the year over Alabama A&M (0-2) by a score of 6-1 on Sunday at the Adams Tennis Complex.
The Blue Raiders claimed the doubles point thanks to a great start on court two by Sana Garakani and Eloise Swarbrick, winning 6-1 before veterans Lilly-Sophie Schmidt and Alessia Truden clinched it on three with a 6-3 score.
Fans caught a glimpse of a team that added depth in the offseason, with a singles lineup that looked a bit different than some others so far early in the season. Newcomer Alessia Truden capped off a big day by winning her first singles match as a Blue Raider 6-0, 6-2 over Hannah Nagpal on court three.
Sana Garakani improved to 4-3 on the year in singles play with a 6-1, 6-3 win on court one over Ntoko Zungu while Ilaria Sposetti fought back from down 4-3 in her first set against Alicia Owegi to win 7-5, 6-2 to clinch the match for MTSU on court two.
Eloise Swarbrick took care of business with a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 13-11 win over Alabama A&M's Camila Ruiz Diaz on court five to earn her third singles win of the year while sophomore Rutuja Chaphalkar finished the afternoon with a 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 grind-it-out win for the Blue Raiders on six.
Head Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall
On first home win of the season: "It felt good to win in front of the home crowd. We've been bouncing back and forth a lot. We'll win one, lose one, win one and lose one. I told the girls we've got to stop that and get on a streak and start winning, especially with a few more home matches coming up."
On finding consistency moving forward: "We need to start clicking on a few more things in doubles that we've mentioned and are working on. In singles, we're battling well and to me it's just some small improvements that we need. We need to continue to maintain in some of these long, grinding matches.
On the grind-it-out wins from Eloise Swarbrick and Rutuja Chaphalkar and the depth they provided on five and six: "It's important (to have the depth) because last year we didn't have that. When we had an injury last year, we couldn't find a good six. Bringing in four new players who are playing well in the lineup and allowing us to move around the veterans of our team and giving us someone that we know can step in if there's an injury is pretty important."
Player's Perspective: Alessia Truden R-SR.
On first singles win at MTSU: "It felt good. Unfortunately I couldn't play much in the fall due to injuries. It felt amazing to get my first win. Last time, I got really close but was unable to finish it out, but overall I'm really happy.
On playing doubles with veteran like Lilly-Sophie Schmidt: "It really helps. We didn't play our greatest today, and we know that. But I knew playing with her I had someone that could help pick me up after some mistakes. Working with her and knowing we can feed off each other's attitude is a big positive."
On settling into role within the team: "There's still a lot of things I'm working on, but I love the attitude of this team. We're willing to work hard every single day. It's something that not a lot of schools have. The coaches help us get better every single day, so huge shoutout to them. For us players to have the energy and willingness to take a step forward every day will make us keep getting better.
Doubles/ order of finish
1. Rutuja Chaphalkar/ Cassidy Mataia (MTSU) vs. Ntoko Zungu/ Ariana Ondo Cerezo (AAMU) 2-5, unf.
2. Sana Garakani/ Eloise Swarbrick (MTSU) def. Alica Owegi/ Camila Ruiz Diaz (AAMU) 6-1
3. Lilly-Sophie Schmidt/ Alessia Truden (MTSU) def. Hannah Nagpali/ Sofia Sotelo Raya (AAMU) 6-3
(2, 3)
Singles/ order of finish
1. Sana Garakani (MTSU) def. Ntoko Zungu (AAMU) 6-1, 6-3
2. Ilaria Sposetti (MTSU) def. Alicia Owegi (AAMU) 7-5, 6-2
3. Alessia Truden (MTSU) def. Hannah Nagpal (AAMU) 6-0, 6-2
4. Arianda Ondo Cerezo (AAMU) def. Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (AAMU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-6
5. Eloise Swarbrick (MTSU) def. Camila Ruiz Diaz (AAMU) 6-3, 3-6, 13-11
6. Rutuja Chaphalkar (MTSU) def. Sofia Sotelo Raya (AAMU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-8
(3, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
UP NEXT
Middle Tennessee returns to action Friday at 1:00 p.m. CT at the Adams Tennis Complex, hosting the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Be sure to follow @MT_WomensTennis on Twitter, @mt_womenstennis on Instagram, and Blue Raider Women's Tennis on Facebook for news and updates regarding everything Blue Raider women's tennis.
The Blue Raiders claimed the doubles point thanks to a great start on court two by Sana Garakani and Eloise Swarbrick, winning 6-1 before veterans Lilly-Sophie Schmidt and Alessia Truden clinched it on three with a 6-3 score.
Fans caught a glimpse of a team that added depth in the offseason, with a singles lineup that looked a bit different than some others so far early in the season. Newcomer Alessia Truden capped off a big day by winning her first singles match as a Blue Raider 6-0, 6-2 over Hannah Nagpal on court three.
Sana Garakani improved to 4-3 on the year in singles play with a 6-1, 6-3 win on court one over Ntoko Zungu while Ilaria Sposetti fought back from down 4-3 in her first set against Alicia Owegi to win 7-5, 6-2 to clinch the match for MTSU on court two.
Eloise Swarbrick took care of business with a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 13-11 win over Alabama A&M's Camila Ruiz Diaz on court five to earn her third singles win of the year while sophomore Rutuja Chaphalkar finished the afternoon with a 4-6, 6-3, 10-8 grind-it-out win for the Blue Raiders on six.
Head Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall
On first home win of the season: "It felt good to win in front of the home crowd. We've been bouncing back and forth a lot. We'll win one, lose one, win one and lose one. I told the girls we've got to stop that and get on a streak and start winning, especially with a few more home matches coming up."
On finding consistency moving forward: "We need to start clicking on a few more things in doubles that we've mentioned and are working on. In singles, we're battling well and to me it's just some small improvements that we need. We need to continue to maintain in some of these long, grinding matches.
On the grind-it-out wins from Eloise Swarbrick and Rutuja Chaphalkar and the depth they provided on five and six: "It's important (to have the depth) because last year we didn't have that. When we had an injury last year, we couldn't find a good six. Bringing in four new players who are playing well in the lineup and allowing us to move around the veterans of our team and giving us someone that we know can step in if there's an injury is pretty important."
Player's Perspective: Alessia Truden R-SR.
On first singles win at MTSU: "It felt good. Unfortunately I couldn't play much in the fall due to injuries. It felt amazing to get my first win. Last time, I got really close but was unable to finish it out, but overall I'm really happy.
On playing doubles with veteran like Lilly-Sophie Schmidt: "It really helps. We didn't play our greatest today, and we know that. But I knew playing with her I had someone that could help pick me up after some mistakes. Working with her and knowing we can feed off each other's attitude is a big positive."
On settling into role within the team: "There's still a lot of things I'm working on, but I love the attitude of this team. We're willing to work hard every single day. It's something that not a lot of schools have. The coaches help us get better every single day, so huge shoutout to them. For us players to have the energy and willingness to take a step forward every day will make us keep getting better.
Doubles/ order of finish
1. Rutuja Chaphalkar/ Cassidy Mataia (MTSU) vs. Ntoko Zungu/ Ariana Ondo Cerezo (AAMU) 2-5, unf.
2. Sana Garakani/ Eloise Swarbrick (MTSU) def. Alica Owegi/ Camila Ruiz Diaz (AAMU) 6-1
3. Lilly-Sophie Schmidt/ Alessia Truden (MTSU) def. Hannah Nagpali/ Sofia Sotelo Raya (AAMU) 6-3
(2, 3)
Singles/ order of finish
1. Sana Garakani (MTSU) def. Ntoko Zungu (AAMU) 6-1, 6-3
2. Ilaria Sposetti (MTSU) def. Alicia Owegi (AAMU) 7-5, 6-2
3. Alessia Truden (MTSU) def. Hannah Nagpal (AAMU) 6-0, 6-2
4. Arianda Ondo Cerezo (AAMU) def. Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (AAMU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-6
5. Eloise Swarbrick (MTSU) def. Camila Ruiz Diaz (AAMU) 6-3, 3-6, 13-11
6. Rutuja Chaphalkar (MTSU) def. Sofia Sotelo Raya (AAMU) 4-6, 6-3, 10-8
(3, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
UP NEXT
Middle Tennessee returns to action Friday at 1:00 p.m. CT at the Adams Tennis Complex, hosting the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Be sure to follow @MT_WomensTennis on Twitter, @mt_womenstennis on Instagram, and Blue Raider Women's Tennis on Facebook for news and updates regarding everything Blue Raider women's tennis.
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