This Week in Blue Raider Tennis

RAIDERS FINISH SEASON RANKED 33RD: Middle Tennessee and head coach Dale Short ended the 2006 dual match season ranked 33rd nationally in the FILA ITA rankings, the highest ranking at the end of the season since 1997. The Blue Raiders finished 2005 No. 36 in the country and were 34th in 2002 and 37th in 2003. Middle Tennessee played in the NCAA Team Championships for the second straight year and eighth time in 12 seasons, falling to Tulsa, 4-2, in the first round. In the Southeast Region, the toughest and deepest region in the country year-in and year-out, the Blue Raiders were ranked sixth behind only Georgia, Miami (FL), Ole Miss, Florida and LSU.

SILJESTROM, BORN END YEAR IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Juniors Andreas Siljestrom and Marco Born ended the year ranked in the FILA ITA rankings, with Siljestrom in both the singles and doubles rankings. Siljestrom finished the season 52nd nationally in singles after bouncing between Nos. 46 and 74 throughout the academic year. The Stockholm, Sweden, native dropped a straight-set decision to Callum Beale of Texas in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships, Middle Tennessee's first participant in the NCAA singles field since Daniel Klemetz in 2003. Siljestrom and Born were ranked 10th in doubles in September and reached as high as No. 2 in the country on February 22 this year. The duo finished the year ranked fifth in the nation after reaching the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championships and earning the first doubles All-America honors for Middle Tennessee since 1998 (David McNamara-Julius Robberts). In the Southeast Region, Siljestrom was ranked 11th in singles and Siljestrom-Born was rated No. 1 in the region in doubles.

BORN REACHES THIRD ON DOUBLES LIST: Junior Marco Born ended the year 30-7 overall in doubles in 2005-06, tying current assistant coach David McNamara (1997, 1998) and Fred Niemeyer (1997) for third on the single-season wins list at Middle Tennessee. Born's .811 winning percentage also ranks seventh on the single-season list and his .786 career winning percentage (59-16) is No. 1 in doubles. Niemeyer (112-37, .752, 1994-97) was the previous leader on the career doubles winning percentage list. Born's .640 career winning percentage (48-27) in singles ranks seventh on the career chart as well.

SILJESTROM LEAVING MARK ON RECORD BOOKS: Junior Andreas Siljestrom reached the Top 10 in career wins in both singles and doubles this season at Middle Tennessee, as well as cracking the Top 10 in combined victories. The Stockholm, Sweden, native is tied with Brandon Allan for 10th on the singles wins list with 61 career triumphs. He has 77 career doubles wins, ranking sixth, and his 138 combined victories is 10th best in school history. Siljestrom also ended 2005-06 with 28 doubles wins, ranking 10th on the single-season list. His 28-7 record and .800 winning percentage this year ranks ninth on the single-season chart, while his .747 career doubles winning percentage (.77-26) is third best in school history.

ALLAN, SCHLEDORN LINKED BY DOUBLES PLAY: Senior Brandon Allan and junior Kai Schledorn are both ranked in the career doubles Top 10 list because of their play as a tandem for three seasons at Middle Tennessee. Allan ended his Blue Raider career with 79 doubles victories, fifth most in school history. The Knoxville, Tenn., native also tied with junior Andreas Siljestrom for 10th on the career singles wins list with 61 and ranks eighth on the combined wins list with 140. Schledorn played every doubles match of his three-year career with Allan, winning 71 times, tying for ninth with Daniel Klemetz (2000-03) and Mark Pellerin (1998-01) on the career chart. His .689 career doubles winning percentage (71-32) ranks eighth on the Middle Tennessee chart.

TENNIS CAMP DATES ANNOUNCED: Middle Tennessee will host three tennis camps in June this summer at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center for beginner, intermediate and advanced players. The camp dates are June 12-16, 19-23 and 26-30. Director of Tennis Dale Short is running this year's camps. For more information or a camp brochure, call 615/898-2957 or print a camp brochure from GoBlueRaiders.com at goblueraiders.com//content.cfm/id/149704.

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