Featured photo by Brett Walker
Story by Brett Walker
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MURFREESBORO, Tenn- Middle Tennessee men’s tennis (17-9) defeated Tulane (7-14) on Sunday 5-2 on senior day in the penultimate game of the regular season at the MTSU Outdoor Tennis Facility.
Sunday’s match against the Green Wave marked Senior Day for the Blue Raiders. After the season, MTSU will lose three players: Leo Raquin, Javier Cueto Ramos and Demis Taramonlis.
All three seniors share a similar story. They transferred into MTSU just last year, becoming Blue Raiders for their last year of athletic eligibility. Although their collegiate tennis days may be nearing an end, the trio of transfers will all return to Murfreesboro next year to complete their degrees.
As one can imagine, transferring to a team as a senior presents a lot of challenges. No one better understands this than MTSU head coach Jimmy Borendame. Borendame understood that his transfer seniors came in with high expectations. They may have been in a new environment, but he expected them to use their experience to quickly become leaders in the program.
“So, it’s really tough, but they all did a good job,” Borendame said. “They had a smile on their face, and kind of went about the process. I got a better understanding of how to work with them, and they got a better understanding of how to work with me, and obviously it’s come together really nice.”
While only being a part of the team for one season, all three players have left their mark on the men’s tennis program.
Raquin has risen as high as No. 18 in singles ITA rankings and No. 26 in doubles. He has acquired a team-best 32 wins in total on the year. Despite the on-court success, the friends he has made along the way are what is most important.
“My two roommates (Cueto Ramos and Taramonlis) mean a lot to me,” Raquin said. “The coach too, he helped me a lot. He gave me confidence, and I will remember everyone forever.”
While Raquin emerged as the team’s true No. 1 in singles and half of the equation for the No. 1 doubles team, Taramonlis and Cueto Ramos have been vital to the team as well in their respective roles.
Taramonlis serves in a singles-only role while Cueto Ramos was brought in to primarily play doubles. As it is always hard to start somewhere new, MTSU’s friendly environment meant a lot.
Taramonlis’ time as a Blue Raider has been so special to him that he’s not ready to give it up just yet. Taramonlis plans to return in the fall to finish his degree in sports management, and he made it clear he’ll still be around.
“It’s great to play with these guys,” Taramonlis said. “Singles, doubles, practice is always fun. So that makes me happy. I’m sad that I’m done with it. But we’ll be around next year. I still want to practice with the guys, I still want to hang out with them. That’s my plan. I love Middle Tennessee. It gave me great memories. I will always be a Blue Raider fan.”
Cueto Ramos echoed Taramonlis’ feelings about the MTSU tennis program. The program has been very successful the past few years. MTSU’s success combined with the opportunity to receive his master’s degree in sports management helped lure Cueto Ramos to Murfreesboro.
The senior day match was a memorable one for Cueto Ramos, as he and his doubles partner Marcel Kamrowski, won 7-6, 7-5 to clinch the doubles point against Tulane. While it was an emotional day, the team is looking forward to the Conference USA Tournament next weekend.
“The team has worked really hard,” Cueto Ramos said. “We’ve put in a lot of work. We are not done yet. So, hopefully, we can do really good in conference next weekend and let’s see how far we can go in nationals.”
At the end of the day, Borendame reflected on how the transfer portal allowed him to flesh out the roster. The team struck gold in the transfer portal and was able to meet his top priority and bring in really good guys.
“I spend way more time with these guys than I spend with my family, and I enjoy having them around and working with them hard,” Borendame said.
In the ever-changing landscape of college sports, the transfer portal is often criticized. But, for MTSU men’s tennis, it isn’t just about trying to win, it’s about building lifelong friendships.
Brett Walker is a sportswriter for MTSU Sidelines. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
