Blue Raiders Drop 4-2 Decision at Louisville

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee's 54th-ranked men's tennis team dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 39 Louisville late Thursday night at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville, Ky., dropping the doubles point and winning only two singles matches in the first road match of the year for the Blue Raiders.

The match took more than four years and was a dogfight from start-to-finish, much like the affairs of the last three years between the two teams.

Louisville won the doubles point to take early control of the dual match. Middle Tennessee's 29th-ranked tandem of Brandon Allan and Kai Schledorn dropped a 9-8 decision to Jeremy Clark and Jakob Gustaffson at No. 1, but 58th-ranked Andreas Siljestrom and Marco Born defeated UL's Mark Kennedy and Jhonny Berrido, 8-5, at No. 2. The Cardinals gained the early point when Damar Johnson and Tony Teufel won 8-6 over Anant Sitaram and Greg Pollack at No. 3.

In singles the Blue Raiders started with wins at No. 3 and No. 5 singles, as Schledorn won 6-3, 6-2, over Nicolas Houard, and Allan defeated Jeremy Clark, 6-3, 7-6. Pollack dropped a 6-7, 3-6, decision to Berrido at No. 4, but it was the top two players who struggled for the Blue Raiders in the loss.

Siljestrom, ranked 68th in singles, lost 2-6, 2-6, to 124th-ranked Johnson at No. 1, while Born battled but could not overcome Gustaffson, 7-6, 6-7, 2-6, at No. 2. The match at No. 6 between Sitaram and Octavian Nicodim was tied at one set apiece.

Middle Tennessee continues the three-match road swing with a 5 p.m. CT start Friday at Indiana State.

#48 Louisville 4, #57 Middle Tennessee 2
SINGLES
1. Damar Johnson (UL) def. Andreas Siljestrom (MT), 6-3, 6-2
2. Jakob Gustaffson (UL) def. Marco Born (MT), 7-6, 6-2
3. Kai Schledorn (MT) def. Nicolas Houard (UL) 6-3, 6-2
4. Octavian Nicodim (UL) vs. Anant Sitaram (MT), DNF
5. Jhonny Berrido (UL) def. Greg Pollack (MT), 7-6, 6-3
6. Brandon Allan (MT) def. Jeremy Clark (UL), 6-3, 7-6

DOUBLES
1. Clark-Gustaffson (UL) def. Schledorn-Allan (MT), 9-8
2. Siljestrom-Born (MT) def. Mark Kennedy-Berrido (UL), 8-5
3. Johnson-Teufel (UL) def. Sitaram-Pollack (MT), 8-6

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