Moraes picks up two wins in day one of UTSA/ITA Regional

• Day One Draws

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Middle Tennessee sophomore Nayara Moraes picked up a pair of singles wins on Thursday to advance to the main draw tournament of the UTSA/ITA Ohio Valley Regional at Purdue University.

Moraes entered the day on a five-match win streak and she stretched that mark to seven today.

In the first qualifying round, Moraes outlasted Ball State's Paola Rodriguez, 6-2, 6-4 to advance.

From there, the sophomore defeated Chattanooga's Kelsey Coots, 6-4 in the opening set. Coots and Moraes battled in the second set, but Moraes secured a victory with a 7-6 (4-0) score.

Moraes will face Xavier's Daniella Patton on Friday. MT will also have the remainder of its team compete in the tournament beginning on Friday.

"I'm proud of the way Nayara composed herself and competed today," said head coach Shelley Godwin. "The situation was not ideal with her having to wait around all day and then play back-to-back matches. She came out focused and took care of business. This is a good start for the team and we can use this momentum as the main draw starts tomorrow."

A recap and results of this weekend's matches will be available online at GoBlueRaiders.com. Fans can follow live action through Twitter by searching the hashtag #USTAITARegionals.

Singles competition

Moraes, Nayara (Middle Tennessee) def. Paola Rodriguez (Ball State) 6-2, 6-4

Moraes, Nayara (Middle Tennessee) def. Kelsey Coots (Chattanooga) 6-4, 7-6 (4-0)

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