Middle Tennessee State (16-7) men\u2019s tennis swept Chicago State (1-12) 7-0 on Monday, without Karim Al Amin and Ondrej Horak.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Al-Amin and Horak were not active for the Blue Raiders today, resting against\u00a0a short-handed\u00a0Chicago State team. Chicago State\u00a0fielded\u00a0five players for the competition, so only two of the three doubles games and five of the singles games were played.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The one less game\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0a problem as the Blue\u00a0Raiders\u2019\u00a0duos of\u00a0Birtan\u00a0Duran\u00a0and\u00a0Antoine Mayoral, and Eric\u00a0Crivei\u00a0and\u00a0Jonaz\u00a0Dziopak\u00a0swept both games 6-0, earning the first point for the Blue Raiders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0Singles\u00a0weren\u2019t\u00a0much different, as the Blue Raiders swept four of five singles matches. The only court to go to a third set was court two between Mayoral and Joao Teixeria, but Mayoral came out on top, winning\u00a0(6-1, 3-6, 1-0 (10-4))\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really happy that we finished business today,\u201d Duran said.\u00a0\u201cI thought we finished\u00a0pretty strong\u00a0on every\u00a0court.\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0really happy\u00a0about today\u2019s win and hopefully it can affect us positively for the next match.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The win also highlighted major improvements within the team. The\u00a0doubles\u2019\u00a0chemistry has improved since the fall, and players not playing were vocal in support of their teammates, something that\u00a0head\u00a0coach Jimmy\u00a0Borendame\u00a0has been working on throughout the season.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOndrej and Karim have been doing\u00a0a great job\u00a0integrating them in, and we spend a lot of time together,\u201d\u00a0Boredame\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cWe haven\u2019t been on the road much, and road trips are great chances to bond, but credit to the captains for getting these guys going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Blue Raiders return to action in Ithaca, New York, on Sunday at 10\u00a0a.m.\u00a0CDT to\u00a0face Cornell\u00a0University\u00a0(10-2).\u00a0<\/p>\n
To contact the sports editor, email\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow Sidelines on Facebook at\u00a0Facebook.com\/MTSUSidelines<\/a>, on X\u00a0@mtsusidelines<\/a>\u00a0and Instagram\u00a0@mtsusidelines<\/a>. Sign up for our weekly newsletter\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n