MOBILE, Ala. – Middle Tennessee defeated UL-Lafayette 4-1, for the second time this season, to advance to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Men's Tennis Championships on Thursday afternoon at the Mobile Tennis Center. The Blue Raiders (11-12) won the doubles point after senior Kyle Wishing and freshman Elliot Barnwell defeated Carlin Murray and Ted Nilsson 8-6. Junior Matt Langley and r-freshman Dimitri Pippos won No. 3 doubles with an 8-4 win over Robert Voss and Carl Alberton. “The guys came out with a lot of intensity today and it showed. They battled through adversity around them and I am very proud of the way the team played today,” head coach Jimmy Borendame said. Wishing then won his singles match 6-2, 6-1 against Elliot Minvielle at No. 6 singles giving Middle Tennessee a 2-0 lead in the match. The Ragin’ Cajuns closed the gap to one, 2-1, when Nilsson defeated Pippos 6-3, 6-3 at No. 4. Freshman Ben Davis ran the lead back out to two, 3-1, with his 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Murray at the No. 1 position. Langley sealed the 4-1 win for the Blue Raiders with his 7-5, 6-4 win over Voss at No. 3 singles. The Blue Raiders will face Denver, the one seed, in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Championships on Friday, April 22 at 2 p.m. Complete Results Singles 1. Ben Davis (MT) def. Murray, Carlin (UL) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 2. Shaun Waters (MT) vs. Mandl, Yanick (UL) 5-7, 5-3, unfinished 3. Matthew Langley (MT) def. Voss, Robert (UL) 7-5, 6-4 4. Nilsson, Ted (UL) def. Dimitri Pippos (MT) 6-3, 6-3 5. Elliot Barnwell (MT) vs. Alberton, Carl (UL) 0-6, 6-4, unfinished 6. Kyle Wishing (MT) def. Minvielle, Elliot (UL) 6-2, 6-1 Doubles 1. Shaun Waters/Ben Davis (MT) vs. Mandl, Yanick/Farine, Brandon (UL) 6-7, unfinished 2. Elliot Barnwell/Kyle Wishing (MT) def. Murray, Carlin/Nilsson, Ted (UL) 8-6 3. Matthew Langley/Dimitri Pippos (MT) def. Voss, Robert/Alberton, Carl (UL) 8-4 Match Notes: Louisiana 7-12 Middle Tennessee 11-12 Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (6,4,1,3) |