Knight ties for sixth at Cardinal Cup

SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. - Allie Knight recorded her first career top ten finish with a two-over 74 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for sixth (out of 81) at the Wild Eggs Cardinal Cup at Cardinal Golf Club in Simpsonville, Ky. As a team, Middle Tennessee shaved eight strokes off its opening round effort with a 17-over 305, tying for eighth in the 15-team field.

"We made a good move early today, but we kind of gave it back there towards the end," head coach Chris Adams said. "I'm very proud of Allie's play. She avoided trouble, as she has most of this season. She played very steady. She only picked up a couple birdies, but stayed away from the big numbers."

"I'm pleased with how I played, but I think I still left some strokes out there," Knight said. "I hit a lot of fairways, avoided the roughs, and I saved myself a couple of times with my putting. Overall, I think getting a top ten finish in my second tournament is big, and my confidence is pretty high."

Knight's sixth-place finish is the best by a Blue Raider this season.

Olivia Love rebounded from a first round 80 to also shoot a season-best 74 and finish in a tie for 30th at 10-over. The junior recorded four of the team's 10 birdies on the day.

"I think this could be a turning point for Olivia," Adams said. "She didn't do as well as we would've liked in her first few rounds this season, but sometimes all it takes is a stretch of holes or string of birdies to get your confidence up. This is more along the lines of what I expect out of her, and I think she can carry it over into the next tournament."

Karisa Akin cut a stroke off her first round with a six-over 78, and Ashley Haggard shot a nine-over 81. The duo tied for 45th and 52nd, respectively.

Stephanie Smith improved by six strokes with a seven-over 79 to tie for 69th.

Middle Tennessee will now prepare for another trip up to Kentucky at the end of the month for the Bettie Lou Evans Fall Invitational at the University Club of Kentucky in Lexington, set to tee off on September 30.

TEAM SCORES (out of 15)
1. NC State - 296-300=596 (+20)
2. East Carolina - 300-298=598 (+22)
3. Missouri - 305-300=605 (+29)
4. Louisville - 307-301=608 (+32)
5. Penn State - 305-305=610 (+34)
6. ETSU - 311-303=614 (+38)
7. Memphis - 308-309=617 (+41)
T8. Middle Tennessee - 313-305=618 (+42)
T8. Akron - 311-307=618 (+42)
T8. Furman - 313-305=618 (+42)
11. Maryland - 307-312=619 (+43)
12. Cincinnati - 320-304=624 (+48)
13. Xavier - 320-312=632 (+56)
14. Morehead State - 320-318=638 (+62)

MT SCORES (out of 81)
T6. Allie Knight - 76-74= 150 (+6)
T30. Olivia Love - 80-74=154 (+10)
T45. Karisa Akin - 79-78=157 (+13)
T52. Ashley Haggard - 78-81=159 (+15)
T69. Stephanie Smith - 85-79=164 (+20)

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