Blue Raiders Hold On For 4-3 Win

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The doubles tandem of Daniel Klemetz and Brandon Allan won 8-6 at No. 1 doubles to give No. 60 Middle Tennessee the doubles point and a 4-3 victory over 30^th-ranked Harvard in a five-and-a-hour marathon Friday morning at the National Blue-Gray Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala.

Singles were played first in the match due to Friday's rain, with the two teams splitting the six matches, forcing doubles play.

Twelth-ranked Klemetz won at No. 1 singles, 0-6, 6-3, 6-3, over David Lingman, and Kirk Jackson defeated Mark Riddell, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 2. Anant Sitaram gave the Blue Raiders their other singles win, at No. 4, a 7-6 (10), 6-4 victory over Cliff Nguyen.

But the Crimson would win three singles matches to even the score, as George Turner took care of Rishan Kuruppu at No. 5, 6-4, 6-3, and Oli Choo won 6-4, 6-4, over Trevor Short at No. 6.

Middle Tennessee's Michael Staniak was up in the third set but dropped a 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (5) decision to 55^th-ranked Jonathan Chu at No. 4 to even the match at three.

In doubles play, Harvard won 8-2 at No. 3, as Nguyen and Turner defeated Short and Staniak. But the Blue Raiders came back with a 9-8 (7) triumph at No. 2, with Jackson and Sitaram taking care of Chu and Chris Chiou.

Allan and Klemetz's match was on serve until the duo broke 41^st-ranked Lingman and Riddell at 6-5. Allan then served out the match to give the Blue Raiders the victory, as both teams began to cramp on a hot-and-humid day in Montgomery.