Midseason storylines from MTSU tennis

Storylines and players to watch from men’s and women’s tennis halfway through the spring season.

Will Phillips, Reporter • March 11, 2025

As MTSU men’s tennis (9-8) and women’s tennis (8-5) near the season’s halfway point, both teams are set to embark on six and four-game road trips, respectively.

While both programs hit the road, here are some midseason storylines to keep an eye on.

Kacper Szymkowiak returns a ball against Vanderbilt on Feb. 5, 2025 at the Adams Tennis Complex. (Caitlyn Hajek)

The fabulous freshman

Freshman Kacper Szymkowiak has had an incredible start to his season to say the least, winning his first 11 singles matches. Szymkowiak started the season off in the No. 5 singles spot and won his first five matches.

The success prompted head coach Jimmy Borendame to move Szymkowiak up the roster to the four spot. As Szymkowiak continued to win, he continued to rise up the roster as well, before eventually reaching the top seed in singles.

Harvard’s Daniel Milasky put an end to Szymkowiak’s 11 match win streak defeating the freshman, 7-6, 6-3. Even with the lone loss, Szymkowiak currently holds a team best singles record of 11-1 in just his first year as a Blue Raider.

Alessia Truden (right) and Rutuja Chaphalkar (left) track a lob against Belmont at the Adams Tennis Complex on Feb. 15, 2025. (Denver Sikorski)

A dynamic duo

MTSU’s pairing of Alessia Truden and Rutuja Chaphalkar have remained key to doubles success. The pair currently boasts a record of 10-2 together making them an intimidating force for opponents on any day of the week.

A tone setter for the Blue Raiders, Truden currently holds a record of 8-4 and is riding an impressive six match win streak.

Truden, a graduate student, is now only two victories away from a monumental milestone and claiming her 100th career win.

Karim Al-Amin contorts for a return against Arkansas at the Adams Tennis Complex on Feb. 9, 2025. (Hannah Moss)

Accolades aplenty

Another dominant performer in singles has been Shu Matsuoka holding an impressive 10-4 record. Matsuoka recently claimed his second consecutive Conference USA Athlete of the Week honor after a big win over No. 11 Harvard.

Matsuoka wouldn’t be the only Blue Raider to receive accolades this past week, however.

The doubles team of Karim Al-Amin and Ondrej Horak earned CUSA Doubles Team of the Week honors for the third time this season and the second consecutive week.

This award comes following victories over ranked doubles pairs from Harvard and Princeton. These victories propelled Al-Amin and Horak back into the national rankings at No. 40.

The Adams Tennis Complex before MTSU women’s tennis competes against Southeast Missouri on Feb. 10, 2024. (Savion Davis)

Conde’s contributions

Another recent story from the women’s side comes in the form of the rise and return of Sara Conde. Conde made her debut midseason against Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 9 and claimed a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory.

Conde picked up another victory against Belmont 6-2, 6-3 proving herself contributor on the court. The freshman played against Murray State on Feb. 16 where her match would go unfinished 6-4, 4-6.

Absent from the starting lineup for the next few matches, Conde returned on March 8 for a double header against FIU and Ball State. Conde fought hard, but her efforts were null as she fell 1-6, 4-6 vs FIU and 2-6, 6-4, 3-6 against Ball State.

Ondrej Horak swings through a serve against Arkansas at the Adams Tennis Complex on Feb. 9, 2025. (Hannah Moss)

Home triumphs and road tribulations

In terms of overall team status, the Blue Raiders have excelled with the homecourt advantage, having a record of 8-4 at home.

On the other hand, the Blue Raiders haven’t carried that success over on the road, having a record of 0-3. These road losses have come against upper-level competition however, with a 2-4 loss to Alabama, 0-4 defeat to Princeton and 2-4 fall to Harvard.

MTSU has a chance to turn its road woes around with four more consecutive away matches against Pepperdine, San Diego, Tulane and Memphis before returning to Murfreesboro.

MTSU men’s tennis currently stands at a record of 9-8 as only eight matches remain in the regular season. Despite some setbacks on the road Middle Tennesse is determined in to continue dominating in Conference USA and looks to claim its sixth consecutive conference title.

The Blue Raiders will be back in action on March 11 as they face off against Pepperdine in Malibu, California.

Cassidy Mataia (left) celebrates a doubles point with Illaria Sposetti at the Adams Tennis Complex on Jan. 24, 2025. (Abby Barber)

Doubles is the key

One consistent thing throughout the season for MTSU women’s tennis has been the Blue Raiders’ dominance in the doubles point. Middle Tennessee has claimed 12 of 14 doubles points throughout the campaign.

MTSU’s current record stands at 8-5 with the doubles point being the key to the Blue Raiders success.

The team has excelled with a record of 7-2 when playing at home but has had struggles on the road. MTSU has an away record of 1-2, making the upcoming road stretch a true test for the Blue Raiders.

Middle Tennessee looks to bounce back from a double-header defeat next week as it heads to Florida for matchups against Hillsborough Community College and Navy. The Blue Raiders will then face CUSA foes Liberty and UTEP to wrap up their four-game road stretch.

To contact the Sports editor, email [email protected].

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