The 31st-ranked Blue Raiders (13-6) have won seven of their last eight matches and take on 41st-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette Sunday in the championship match of the Sun Belt Shootout. The squad also remained undefeated at home this season, moving to 8-0.

Middle Tennessee jumped out early with easy victories in the two completed doubles matches.

Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrom, ranked fifth nationally, defeated Eduardo Autran and Ivan Milivojevic, 8-1, at No. 1, and Brandon Allan and Kai Schledorn took care of Edson Abrao and Dinko Halachev, 8-4.

The Blue Raiders then won singles outings at Nos. 1-3 and led at No. 6 when the match was halted.

Siljestrom, ranked 74th in singles, defeated Autran, 6-0, 6-3, at No. 1, and Schledorn won 6-1, 6-4, over Rain Roigas, at No. 3. Born's 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, triumph at No. 2 closed out the victory, Middle Tennessee's second-straight victory over the Trojans.

"I thought we looked really good early in the match, especially in singles," head coach Dale Short said. "I think it was a carryover from the Vanderbilt match. I was concerned we would come out lethargic, so we really emphasized getting off to a good start and we did that."

The Blue Raiders host the Ragin' Cajuns at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center in the championship match.

#31 Middle Tennessee 4, Arkansas-Little Rock 0
SINGLES
1. (74) Andreas Siljestrom (MT) def. Eduardo Autran (UALR), 6-0, 6-3
2. Marco Born (MT) def. Dinko Halachev (UALR), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
3. Kai Schledorn (MT) def. Rain Roigas (UALR), 6-1, 6-4
4. Brandon Allan (MT) vs. Edson Abrao (UALR), 5-7, 6-0, 1-2, DNF
5. Morgan Richard (MT) vs. Ivan Milivojevic (UALR), 4-6, 6-5, DNF
6. Greg Pollack (MT) vs. German Perez (UALR), 6-0, 5-4, DNF

DOUBLES
1. (5) Siljestrom-Born (MT) def. Autran-Milivojevic (UALR), 8-1
2. Schledorn-Allan (MT) def. Abrao-Halachev (UALR), 8-4
3. Richard-Pollack (MT) vs. Perez-Roigas (UALR), 6-5, DNF

Print this article

Comments