Blue Raiders set to open season

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Middle Tennessee men's tennis team will begin dual match play this weekend against Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech.

The Blue Raiders will open with UTC on Friday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. before facing the Golden Eagles at 6 p.m.

Senior Morgan Richard will help guide the Blue Raiders in the official opening of his senior season. Junior Alex McCann and sophomore Richard Cowden will also add assistance to the Middle Tennessee leadership.

"It has been a long off-season for me, my assistant coach and the entire team waiting for this opening match. We are all excited to start the season," head coach David McNamara said. "The guys have worked extremely hard the last six weeks during the fall and now have put in a very hard three weeks in January. They are ready for business. We are opening up with UTC, and coach Carlos Garcia always brings a team that is excited and ready to play."

The Blue Raiders will have a quick turnaround in their opening weekend playing TTU directly after the first match. It will be a challenge but one that will help Middle Tennessee down the stretch of the season. "It is Dan Sliverstein's first year at Tennessee Tech but he came from a very good South Alabama program. He has seen our team play a lot over the years and knows our team well," McNamara said. "Tennessee Tech has some very good players and we need to be ready for a battle." The Blue Raiders will play all of their home indoor matches at Nashboro Village in Nashville, Tenn. Results will be posted on www.goblueraiders.com as soon as the matches are complete.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.