Blue Raiders Take Care of UL, 5-2

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee won the doubles point and the first four completed singles matches, as the 42nd-ranked Blue Raiders cruised to a 5-2 victory over 51st-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday morning at the Jakes Hess Tennis Stadium in Houston, Texas.

Middle Tennessee won in its first match in two weeks, defeating the Ragin' Cajuns in the first of two matches this season against UL. The two teams meet again in Lafayette on April 1.

The Blue Raiders took command of the match by winning all three doubles matches.

Brandon Allan and Kai Schledorn, ranked 41st nationally, defeated Amanjot Singh and Kerei Abakar, 8-3, at No. 1, and Greg Pollack and Anant Sitaram won by the same score at No. 3 over Shaun Ellison and Ryan Hess. Andreas Siljestrom and Marco Born, ranked 18th, defeated Evghenii Corduneanu and Dusan Tabak, 8-6, at No. 2.

Middle Tennessee won the first four completed singles matches, wrapping up their 11th win of the season in short work.

Born defeated Singh, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 2, while Sitaram picked up a 6-3, 6-3, victory over Ellison at No. 4. Pollack won 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, at No. 5 against Abakar, and Allan defeated Hess, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 6.

The last two matches pitted Corduneanu against 55th-ranked Siljestrom at No. 1, with Corduneanu taking a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 10-5, victory. UL's Tabak won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), over Schledorn at No. 3.

"I am very happy with the win against a quality team," head coach Dale Short said. "We played well in doubles and in singles throughout the lineup, dropping a couple of close matches after it was really over. They played without [Robin] Ley, but I think we played very well and hopefully that will give is some momentum for Sunday."

The Blue Raiders take on 26th-ranked Rice Sunday in Houston before returning home next weekend to host Georgia State.

#42 Middle Tennessee 5, #51 Louisiana-Lafayette 2
SINGLES
1. Evghenii Corduneanu (UL) def. (55) Andreas Siljestrom (MT), 3-6, 7-6 (5), 10-5
2. Marco Born (MT) def. Amanjot Singh (UL), 6-4, 6-2
3. Dusan Tabak (UL) def. Kai Schledorn (MT), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3)
4. Anant Sitaram (MT) def. Shaun Ellison (UL), 6-3, 6-3
5. Greg Pollack (MT) def. Kerei Abakar (UL), 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
6. Brandon Allan (MT) def. Ryan Hess (UL), 6-2, 6-3

DOUBLES
1. (41) Allan-Schledorn (MT) def. Singh-Abakar (UL), 8-3
2. (18) Siljestrom-Born (MT) def. Corduneanu-Tabak (UL), 8-6
3. Pollack-Sitaram (MT) def. Ellison-Hess (UL), 8-3

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