MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee won the doubles point but only one completed singles match, as the 31st-ranked Blue Raiders fell, 4-2, to No. 34 Tulsa Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Team Championships in Waco, Texas, in a match that took more than four hours. The Blue Raiders (16-8) end their season with a first-round loss in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. Middle Tennessee was making its eighth NCAA appearance in the last 12 seasons, all under head coach Dale Short.
Short said the Blue Raiders knew it was going to be a tough match with everyone needing to play their best.
"We knew going in that the two teams were evenly matched," Short said. "I felt they had a little edge, they won their conference tournament while we lost in ours. Every player had to bring their 'A' game today.
"We lost matches at five and six where there was a bit of controversy on both courts, but those things are going to happen."
The Blue Raiders picked up the first point of the match with doubles victories at Nos. 1 and 2, including a come-from-behind win at No. 2.
Brandon Allan and Kai Schledorn trailed 6-5 before taking the final three games for an 8-5 triumph over Tulsa's Ross Cunningham and Andy Connelly at No. 2.
The Golden Hurricane squared the doubles with an 8-5 victory at No. 3, as Federico Soriano and Will Gray defeated Greg Pollack and Morgan Richard.
But sixth-ranked Andreas Siljestrom and Marco Born staved off Tulsa's 59th-ranked Arnau Bridges and Aleksander Charpantidis, 8-6, at No. 1, for a 1-0 edge for the Blue Raiders.
The Golden Hurricane quickly evened the match, with Gray defeating Allan, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 4. Brugues, ranked seventh, won the first set over No. 48 Siljestrom at No. 1, 6-1, but Siljestrom led the second set until late, falling in a tiebreaker, 7-3.
Born evened the match at two with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, triumph over 62nd-ranked Federico Soriano at No. 2. Cunningham gave Tulsa a 3-2 edge with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, victory over Richard at No. 5, and Diego Camacho won the deciding match with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, win over Rishan Kuruppu at No. 6.
Schledorn led the final match still on the court, 6-4, 5-7, 6-5.
Full results from the match may be found at http://baylorbears.cstv.com/ot/06-ncaa-tennis-regionals.html.
#34 Tulsa 4, #31 Middle Tennessee 2
SINGLES
1. (7) Arnau Brugues (UT) def. (48) Andreas Siljestrom (MT), 6-1, 7-6 (3)
2. Marco Born (MT) def. (62) Federico Soriano (UT), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
3. Kai Schledorn (MT) vs. (115) Ricardo Soriano (UT), 6-4, 5-7, 6-5, DNF
4. Will Gray (UT) def. Brandon Allan (MT), 6-2, 6-3
5. Ross Cunningham (UT) def. Morgan Richard (MT), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
6. Diego Camacho (UT) def. Rishan Kuruppu (MT), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: 4,1,2,5,6*
DOUBLES
1. (6) Siljestrom-Born (MT) def. (59) Brugues-Aleksander Charpantidis (UT), 8-6
2. Allan-Schledorn (MT) def. Cunningham-Andy Connelly (UT), 8-6
3. F. Soriano-Gray (UT) def. Greg Pollack-Richard (MT), 8-5
Order of Finish: 2,3,1*
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