Photo by Tyler Lamb / Sidelines Archives
Story by Jonas Saich / Sports Reporter
The Middle Tennessee men’s tennis team finished up the Penn Invitational this past weekend, putting together an impressive performance against stiff competition.
Friday started off well for the Blue Raiders as they defeated both Georgetown and Princeton in doubles competition by a score of 3-2 in each. They ended their day by almost sweeping the singles competition against Princeton, going 9-1.
Standouts included Tom Moonen, Miguel Negre Fernandez, Jan Porteset and Chris Edge, all of whom won all three of their matches.
On Saturday the Blue Raiders played against host team Penn, where they beat them in doubles by a 3-2 count, but got outmatched in singles by a total of 4-6. Edge continued to display his dominance by winning both of his matches, while Jacob Pugh and Max Rauch also finished the day 2-0.
On the final day they took on Columbia and edged them out in doubles (3-2) and 6-4 in singles. Gian Issa, Fernandez, Pugh and Luis Morillo Diaz all swept their opponents while Edge finished with an undefeated weekend (8-0).
Assistant Coach Sebastian Rey said that it was a great performance from Edge who got a lot of matches under his belt.
“There’s a big transformation from junior tennis to college tennis,” Rey said. “He handled it extremely well and I’m excited to see his game develop.”
The team went 6-1 in total, with doubles sweeping the competition. With the hot finish to last season, it appears that this could be a big year for the Blue Raiders.
“I was impressed with how they competed, their energy and how they responded when things didn’t go their way,” Rey said.
They’ll look to keep the momentum going on Friday, Sept. 22, where they will host the Coach Short Shootout at the Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
To contact Sports Editor Rusty Ellis, email sports@mtsusidelines.com.
For more sports stories, follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on Twitter and Periscope at @Sidelines_Sport.
