Blue Raider winning streak reaches six

JONESBORO, Ark. – The Middle Tennessee women’s tennis continues to find ways to win, as it fought through some tight, hard-contested matches Friday afternoon to hand Arkansas State a 5-2 setback in Jonesboro, Ark. The Blue Raider victory is the sixth in a row for the program, the longest since joining the Sun Belt and the most consecutive since MT captured eight straight entering its lone NCAA Tournament appearance in 2000.

Middle Tennessee (11-4) pulled out the doubles point Friday, taking the early 1-0 lead for the third-straight match and fourth time in the last five contests. Senior Alex Dachos and sophomore Flavia Nagayama started the charge towards the point with an 8-4 triumph at the No. 3 slot over the Red Wolves’ Jess Heeps-Eriksen and Biljana Miloshevska.

After dropping a close decision at the top position, the Blue Raiders went an extra game in the No. 2 spot to post a 9-7 victory, as senior Marietta Bigus and junior Yuiri Nomoto, the current Sun Belt Player of the Week, defeated Ceara Howey and Janie Nowland.

In singles action, it was the bottom two-thirds of the lineup that carried Middle Tennessee, as the Nos. 3 through 6 positions all were victorious.

Nagayama at No. 3, freshman Nayara Moraes at No. 4 and senior Taylor Coffey at No. 6 all earned straight-set decisions. Nagayama handed Nowland a 6-4, 6-4 setback, while Moraes pulled out a 6-3, 6-2 triumph against Miloshevska.

Coffey went an extra game in her second set, but registered a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Howey to break an eight-match win streak for the Arkansas State (8-4) senior.

Bigus was the other Blue Raider to earn a singles triumph, rallying after dropping the first set to defeat Ioana Teu 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Middle Tennessee will look to extend its winning streak while staying in Arkansas when it travels to Little Rock, Ark., to face UALR at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Middle Tennessee 5, Arkansas State 2

Singles
No. 1 Mariana Rong (ASU) def. Yuiri Nomoto (MT) 7-6 (9-7), 6-2
No. 2 Tamara Slijepcevic (ASU) def. Lexi Brand (MT) 6-4, 2-0 ret.
No. 3 Flavia Nagayama (MT) def. Janie Nowland (ASU) 6-4, 6-4
No. 4 Nayara Moraes (MT) def. Biljana Miloshevska (ASU) 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 Marietta Bigus (MT) def. Ioana Teu (ASU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 Taylor Coffey (MT) def. Ceara Howey (ASU) 6-3, 7-5

Doubles
No. 1 Rong/Teu (ASU) def. Brand/Moraes (MT) 8-6
No. 2 Bigus/Nomoto (MT) def. Howey/Nowland (ASU) 9-7
No. 3 Alex Dachos/Nagayama (MT) def. Jess Heeps-Eriksen/Miloshevska (ASU) 8-4

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