Tough task up next for Middle Tennessee

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After dealing with windy conditions throughout the match in Thursday’s win, the Middle Tennessee women’s tennis team will turn its attention to another battle, traveling to Nashville, Tenn., to face No. 18 Vanderbilt at 4 p.m. Sunday.

“Sunday provides a great opportunity for us to play one of the best teams in the country,” head coach Shelley Godwin said. “We are coming off a very hard-fought match Thursday and will bring that same fight Sunday.”

Wind caused all sorts of havoc in the Blue Raiders’ last match, a 4-3 victory over Chattanooga Thursday in the home opener. Middle Tennessee captured four of the six singles wins to rally for the win after dropping the doubles point.

Sophomore Flavia Nagayama clinched the triumph with her three-set thriller at the No. 3 position. Overall, five of the six singles contests went the distance. Nagayama’s win was her fourth in dual match action this spring, closing within two of junior Lexi Brand’s team-leading six. Freshman Nayara Moraes has posted five singles triumphs thus far in her inaugural dual match campaign.

The match at the Currey Tennis Center will be the second of the day for the nationally-ranked Commodores after they play host to No. 53 Memphis in the morning. After starting the season with five-straight victories, Vanderbilt has dropped four of its last five, including three straight, to bring a 6-4 record into Sunday’s outing.

Three Commodores have earned at least eight singles triumphs thus far, including a team-high nine by Nelly Radeva.

Jackie Wu is rated at No. 31 and Lauren Mira is ranked No. 113 in the latest ITA/Campbell national rankings in singles action, while four different doubles pairings are listed among the Top 60 in the country. The tandem of Wu and Mira is ranked the highest out of the quartet at No. 25.

Sunday’s contest will be the first in a three-match road swing for the Blue Raiders, who have played just once at home thus far in 2012.

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