Raiders Defeat MSU, 4-0

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee won all three doubles matches and the first three completed singles outings, as the 44th-ranked Blue Raiders defeated 54th-ranked Mississippi State, 4-0, Sunday afternoon at the Racquet Club of Murfreesboro.

The Blue Raiders (7-3) won his fifth match this season against a ranked foe and fourth at home.

In doubles 16th-ranked Andreas Siljestrom and Marco Born defeated Phillippe Frayssinoux and Ivan Bjelica, 8-4, at No. 1, before Marc Boiron and Joao Paoliello won 8-6 over 28th-ranked Artem Kuznetsov and Pjotrs Necajevs at No. 2 to claim the doubles point. At No. 3, Marc Rocafort and Morgan Richard took care of Christopher Doerr and Ryan Farlow, 8-6.

Siljestrom, ranked 47th in singles, was the first one off the court in singles, a 6-3, 6-2, winner over 31st-ranked Frayssinoux at No. 1. Richard then won, 6-2, 6-1, over Edourad Benchetrit, at No. 4.

Born claimed the clinching point with a 6-3, 7-6 (7), victory over 32nd-ranked Bjelica at No. 2.

"I thought the doubles was going to be critical and if we could win the doubles, it would give us a good chance of winning," head coach Dale Short said. "We've been working hard on that and it's starting to show.

"I think the big advantage was that [Mississippi State] had only played three matches. We had been tested in our early matches and they really had not. We won the closer matches and that was the difference."

Middle Tennessee hosts Vanderbilt next Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center.

#44 Middle Tennessee 4, #54 Mississippi State 0
SINGLES
1. (47) Andreas Siljestrom (MT) def. (31) Philippe Frayssinoux (MSU), 6-3, 6-2
2. Marco Born (MT) def. (32) Ivan Bjelica (MSU) 6-3, 7-6 (7)
3. Marc Rocafort (MT) led Artem Kuznetsov (MSU), 7-5, 5-3, DNF
4. Morgan Richard (MT) def. Edourad Benchetrit (MSU), 6-2, 6-1
5. Marc Boiron vs. Ryan Farlow (MSU), 3-2 DNF
6. Joao Paolielo vs. Christopher Doerr (MSU), 1-1 DNF
Order of finish: 1,4,2*

DOUBLES
1. (16) Siljestrom-Born (MT) def. Bjelica-Frayssinoux (MSU), 8-4
2. Boiron-Paoliello (MT) def. (28) Kuznetsov-Pjotrs Necajevs (MSU), 8-6
3. Rocafort-Richard (MT) def. Doerr-Farlow (MSU), 8-6
Order of finish: 1,2*,3

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