MTSU’s Men’s tennis head coach, Jimmy Borendame leads his team to a victory over his Alma Mater, Butler
Story by Nathaniel Kindma / Contributing Writer
“It was another great day,” MTSU’s head coach Jimmy Borendame said after his current Blue Raider’s tennis team defeated his alma mater Butler 7-0. MT tennis is no stranger to these “great days” that Borrendame mentions. The Blue Raider’s tennis team got off to a hot start to the 2022 spring season, hosting two double-headers in a span of 5 days. More notably, MTSU won all four matches.
On Monday January 17, the Blue Raiders kicked off the season sweeping both a conference rival in Southern Miss and an in-state opponent in Tennessee State. On Friday January 21st, the Raiders swept North Alabama and the Bulldogs of Butler.
“Obviously I’m always following them on their website and I’ve gotten to know Coach Sam (Stultz)… I told the guys they were gonna be competitive in the doubles and they were. We rose to the occasion,” Borrendame said of the unspoken pressure around his team to win the match against his college team.
Borendame’s squad will not have any time to rest, as they prepare for a span of road matches, beginning in Starkville, Mississippi on Sunday and ending in Charlottesville, Virginia for an ITA tournament on January 30th. The Blue Raiders have proven their resilience when playing at Adams Tennis Complex (ATC). They currently have the most consecutive victories at home in the NCAA (33). But how will their play be on the road? Graduate student Chris Edge is excited about the road test. “I’m looking forward to it. We had a close one with them (Mississippi State) last year,” Edge stated. The Bulldogs narrowly defeated the Blue Raiders with a score of 4-3 last year. The Blue Raiders will certainly have many opportunities to make a name for themselves in the coming week.
