Four singles victories lift Blue Raiders to win over No. 74 ETSU

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Matthew Langley’s three-set thriller clinched Middle Tennessee’s 4-3 victory over No. 74 ETSU on Saturday afternoon at Nashboro Village. Four Blue Raiders won singles matches as MT improved to 4-3 in dual action, having won four of its last five matches.

“I’m really proud of the guys and the grit they showed today,” head coach Jimmy Borendame said. “Two weeks in a row now we’ve had big wins. We had a number of guys battle back in their matches, particularly, Ben Davis. He tweaked his leg, but played through it and came up with a big win. ETSU was really tough, and it’s a big turn for us after losing to them 7-0 last year. Again, I’m just really proud of the great team effort.”

After dropping the doubles point, Christoph Lang got singles action rolling with a straight-set win. The Bucs took a 2-1 lead in the match after Ettore Zito suffered a loss, but Ben Davis battled through three sets, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, to pull the Blue Raiders even with ETSU. It marked Davis’ fifth-straight singles victory.

Forrest Edwards’ 6-2, 6-1 win gave MT a 3-2 edge, and Langley finished off the Bucs in a tight contest. Langley, facing Jesus Bandres for the second time this year, earned a 7-6 win in the first set, but dropped the second, 3-6. The two went to the wire in the third set before Langley pulled ahead for the 7-5 clincher. The two also played a three-set match in October, with Langley earning the victory.

The Blue Raiders will take the weekend off before returning to action March 2-3 at the HEB Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas. The field includes Western Michigan, Texas A&M-CC, Maryland, Purdue, New Mexico, Texas Tech, DePaul.

Middle Tennessee 4, #74 ETSU 3
Singles competition
1. Ben Davis (MT) def. Sander Gille (ETSU) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
2. Matthew Langley (MT) def. Jesus Bandres (ETSU) 7-6, 3-6, 7-5
3. Christoph Lang (MT) def. Juan Ramirez (ETSU) 6-2, 7-5
4. Jeremy Bonnevalle (ETSU) def. Ettore Zito (MT) 7-6, 6-3
5. Forrest Edwards (MT) def. Jorge Varon (ETSU) 6-2, 6-1
6. Roger Ordeig (ETSU) def. Yannick Born (MT) 6-4, 6-7, 10-5

Doubles competition
1. Sander Gille/Robin Akser (ETSU) def. Ben Davis/Christoph Lang (MT) 9-8
2. Yannick Born/Marlon Brand (MT) def. Juan Ramirez/Jeremy Bonnevalle (ETSU) 9-7
3. Jesus Bandres/Jorge Varon (ETSU) def. Matthew Langley/Ettore Zito (MT) 8-6

Match Notes:
ETSU 0-8; National ranking #74
Middle Tennessee 4-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,4,1,5,2,6)

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