Men's Tennis Falls, 4-3

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The 58th-ranked Middle Tennessee men's tennis team won the doubles point and singles matches at two of the top three spots but could not overcome 27th-ranked Tulane Saturday afternoon, dropping a 4-3 decision at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center.

The Blue Raiders (7-13) started strong, winning the doubles point with victories at Nos. 2 and 3.

Tulane's 35th-ranked Michael Kogan and David Goulet defeated 49th-ranked Brandon Allan and Kai Schledorn at No. 1, 8-5. But Middle Tennessee was victorious in the other two matches, with Trevor Short and Kirk Jackson winning, 8-3, at No. 2 over Goran Vasiljevic and Ted Angelinos, and Andreas Siljestrom and Aidan Fitzgerald taking an 8-4 triumph over Dmitriy Koch and Jacobo Hernandez at No. 3.

In singles the Blue Raiders and Green Wave battled deep into four of the tilts, with No. 6 the deciding match in the dual.

Kogan, ranked 13th in singles, defeated No. 120 Siljestrom at No. 1, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, but Jackson won 6-3, 6-4, over 79th-ranked Koch at No. 2 and Schledorn took a 7-5, 6-3, decision over Angelinos at No. 3.

The Green Wave came back with victories in the next two spots, with Goulet defeating Short, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3, at No. 4, and Hernandez winning 6-3, 6-2, over Fitzgerald at No. 5.

The match came down to Middle Tennessee's Rishan Kuruppu and Tulane's Alberto Sottocorno, both of whom did not play singles. Sottocorno won the first set in a tiebreaker, but Kuruppu came back to take the second set. Sottocorno outlasted the Blue Raider, picking up a break in the deciding set en route to a 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3, decision.

The Blue Raiders conclude the home schedule Sunday with a Noon match against UAB at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center.

#27 TULANE 4, #58 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 3
SINGLES
1. (13) Michael Kogan (TU) def. (120) Andreas Siljestrom (MT), 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2. Kirk Jackson (MT) def. (79) Dmitriy Koch (TU), 6-3, 6-4
3. Kai Schledorn (MT) def. Ted Angelinos (TU), 7-5, 6-3
4. David Goulet (TU) def. Trevor Short (MT), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3
5. Jacobo Hernandez (TU) def. Aidan Fitzgerald (MT), 6-3, 6-2
6. Alberto Sottocorno (TU) def. Rishan Kuruppu (MT), 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3

DOUBLES
1. (35) Goulet-Kogan (TU) def. (49) Brandon Allan-Schledorn (MT), 8-5
2. Short-Jackson (MT) def. Goran Vasiljevic-Angelinos (TU), 8-3
3. Siljestrom-Fitzgerald (MT) def. Koch-Hernandez (TU), 8-4

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