No. 68 Blue Raiders lead Belmont 3-1, match suspended due to inclement weather

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The No. 68 Blue Raider men’s tennis team was leading Belmont 3-1 when the match was suspended due to inclement weather. The match will resume Monday at 3:30 p.m. CT at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center.

The two teams managed to squeeze in all three doubles matches and three singles matches before lightning halted the match. The No. 1, 4 and 5 singles matches will be finished on Monday.

After dropping the doubles point, MT bounced back in singles action to take the 3-1 lead. Forrest Edwards made quick work of Bruno Silva in the No. 6 spot, capturing a 6-1, 6-4 victory to even the match at one apiece.

Matthew Langley gave the Blue Raiders the 2-1 advantage with a straight-set win, earning a 7-6 victory in the first set and 6-4 triumph in the second out of the No. 2 slot. Christoph Lang in the three-hole made it a two-point cushion with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 win.

Top-seeded Ben Davis and Renato Antun were headed to a third set when the inclement weather struck. Davis won the first set, 6-2, but fell 7-6 in the second. Dimitri Pippos also split his first two sets and was leading, 2-1, in the third before play was suspended. Ettore Zito dropped his first set, 7-6, and trailed, 4-1, in the second.

For updates on the final three singles matches Monday, follow @MTAthletics on Twitter.

#68 Middle Tennessee 3, Belmont 1
Singles competition
1. Ben Davis (MT) vs. Renato Antun (BELM) 6-2, 6-7, unfinished
2. Matthew Langley (MT) def. Henrique Norbiato (BELM) 7-6, 6-4
3. Christoph Lang (MT) def. Rodrigo Amaral (BELM) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
4. Ettore Zito (MT) vs. Fernando Mussolini (BELM) 6-7, 1-4, unfinished
5. Dimitri Pippos (MT) vs. Rafael Matos (BELM) 6-2, 7-6, 2-1, unfinished
6. Forrest Edwards (MT) def. Bruno Silva (BELM) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. Renato Antun/Rafael Matos (BELM) def. Yannick Born/Marlon Brand (MT) 8-5
2. Henrique Norbiato/Rodrigo Amaral (BELM) def. Ben Davis/Christoph Lang (MT) 8-5
3. Matthew Langley/Ettore Zito (MT) vs. Fernando Mussolini/Bruno Silva (BELM) 7-4, unfinished

Match Notes
Belmont 3-8
Middle Tennessee 7-5; National ranking #68
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (6,2,3)
Match suspended on 3/15 to be continued on 3/19 at 3:30 p.m.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.