Melo defeats No. 8
NORFOLK, Va. - The Middle Tennessee men's tennis team, riddled with injuries, pulled off another upset on Saturday as it defeated No. 74 Old Dominion 4-2.
Middle Tennessee began the match taking two of the three doubles matches. Sophomore John Peers teamed with junior Victor Melo for a 9-8 (0) win over No. 40 Aleksandr Selznev and Tobias Fanselow to give the point to the Blue Raiders.
"If you had told me we would be 2-0 going into tomorrow I would not have believed you with the injuries we have. The team is stepping up to the challenge and I have to give them a lot of credit for competing and fighting," head coach David McNamara said.
Senior Morgan Richard defeated Alex Funkhouser 6-2, 6-3 in No. 4 singles to give Middle Tennessee a 2-0 lead.
Then Old Dominion won No. 5 and 6 singles to tie the match at 2 but Peers and Melo took control. Peers defeated Yakov Diskin 6-3, 6-3.
Melo gave the Blue Raiders the win with his 6-4, 7-5 win over No. 8 Tobias Fanselow.
"We are 2-0 and playing VCU tomorrow who is ranked 33rd nationally we have a good shot at finishing this road trip 3-0," McNamara said.
The Blue Raiders will be back in action on Sunday, Feb. 22 when it faces VCU in Norfolk at 10 a.m.
Singles
1. Aleksandr Selznev (ODU) vs. Robert McKenzie (MT) 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 0-1, unfinished
2. Victor Melo (MT) def. #8 Tobias Fanselow (ODU) 6-4, 7-5
3. John Peers (MT) def. Yakov Diskin (ODU) 6-3, 6-3
4. Morgan Richard (MT) def. Alex Funkhouser (ODU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Matt Fawcett (ODU) def. Kyle Wishing (MT) 6-2, 6-1
6. Krzysztof Muzalewski (ODU) def. Alex McCann (MT) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
1. John Peers/Victor Melo (MT) def. #40 Aleksandr Selznev/Tobias Fanselow (ODU) 9-8 (3)
2. Robert McKenzie/Morgan Richard (MT) def. Matt Fawcett/Ben Marks (ODU) 8-4
3. Yakov Diskin/Alex Funkhouser (ODU) def. Alex McCann/Kyle Wishing (MT) 8-4
Match Notes:
Middle Tennessee 4-2
Old Dominon 8-6; National ranking #74
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,5,6,3,2)
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