The final day of the MT Buck Bouldin Fall Classic was played Sunday with the host Blue Raiders sweeping their two doubles matches and adding four singles victories in women's tennis action at the Buck Bouldin Tennis Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The opening fall tournament went an extra day due to inclement weather in the area Saturday.
"Overall, I thought we played really well this weekend and had a good start to the season," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "It was our best start to a season as far as a team sense and competing. We played really well from top to bottom throughout the lineup, especially with freshman Yuiri Nomoto doing so well. She has the potential to be one of our leaders this year.
"We will continue to work hard and move on from this to prepare for next weekend, where we will see some other conference opponents and see how we stack up then."
Middle Tennessee's Anna Djananova and Natalie Araya earned an 8-4 win over Murray State's Cassidy Cunitz and Lyndsay Ottosen. The other doubles triumph came when newcomers Carla Nava and Nomoto handed Chattanooga's Shaina Singh and Jennemieke van der Veek an 8-1 setback.
In singles action, Nomoto, Nava, Araya and Taylor Coffey all registered wins. Nomoto posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Singh, while Nava garnered a 6-0, 7-5 triumph against Chattanooga's Charlotte Bossy.
Araya continued a strong showing during the singles action by the Blue Raiders, as she registered a 6-2, 6-4 win versus Brianna Wishing of the Lady Mocs.
Coffey needed three sets to earn her win, but pulled out a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 triumph against Murray State's Ashley Canty.
Middle Tennessee will return to action Friday through Sunday at the UL-Lafayette Fall Classic in Lafayette, La.
Middle Tennessee tennis scores:
Doubles:
Anna Djananova/Natalie Araya (MT) def. Cassidy Cunitz/Lyndsay Ottosen (MSU) 8-4
Carla Nava/Yuiri Nomoto (MT) def. Shaina Singh/Jennemieke van der Veek (UTC) 8-1
Singles:
Yuiri Nomoto (MT) def. Shaina Singh (UTC) 6-0, 6-2
Taylor Coffey (MT) def. Ashley Canty (MSU) 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
Carla Nava (MT) def. Charlotte Bossy (UTC) 6-0, 7-5
Natalie Araya (MT) def. Brianna Wishing (UTC) 6-2, 6-4
Jenna Nurik (UTC) def. Anna Djananova (MT) 6-0, 6-1
Emily Hangstefer (UTC) def. Marietta Bigus (MT) 6-1, 7-5
Lyndsay Ottosen (MSU) def. Alex Dachos (MT) 6-0, 6-2
•••
MT WOMEN'S GOLF TEAM FINISHES 8TH AT INVITE
LEXINGTON, KY - The Middle Tennessee women's golf team got an outstanding performance from freshman Olivia Love to finish tied for eighth at the 2009 Bettie Lou Evans Fall Invite. The Blue Raiders shot 300 on Sunday to finish the weather shortened tournament with a 36-hole score of 612.
Ninth ranked Florida State won the tournament with a 587 which was five shots better than UCF at 592. Chattanooga and Notre Dame tied for third with a 598 and Kennesaw State rounded out the top five with a 601.
Love played a solid round on Sunday with three birdies and two bogeys for a 1-under par 70 to match the third-best score of the day. Love tied for eighth overall with a 147 total.
"For a true freshman to bounce back the way she did today was impressive," said Head Coach Chris Adams. "She played a nice round of golf today and I think this is something she can build on."
Steph Gough, who was tied for fifth after the first round, carded a 77 on Sunday to tie for 24th with a 151. Gough was solid on the front side but found trouble in her last nine that saw her struggle with a triple bogey on the par 3 12th hole.
Freshman Ashley Haggard tied for 36th with a 153 total after firing a 74 on Sunday, while teammate Karisa Akin finished 61st with a 161 total.
Freshman Stephanie Smith completed the Blue Raider scoring with a 167 total and an 81 on Sunday to place 76th.
The Blue Raiders will be back in action Oct. 5-6 at the Second Annual Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Mo.
TEAM SCORES
1 9 Florida State Univ. 2 +15 F +5 298 289 587
2 UCF 2 +20 F +7 301 291 592
T3 12 Chattanooga 2 +26 F +11 303 295 598
T3 Notre Dame, U. of 2 +26 F +10 304 294 598
5 Kennesaw State 2 +29 F +12 305 296 601
6 Coastal Carolina 2 +35 F +22 301 306 607
7 Texas State 2 +36 F +22 302 306 608
T8 Fla. International 2 +40 F +17 311 301 612
T8 Middle Tennessee 2 +40 F +16 312 300 612
T10 Mississippi St. U. 2 +42 F +16 314 300 614
T10 Augusta State 2 +42 F +20 310 304 614
T10 Kentucky, U. of (B) 2 +42 F +19 311 303 614
13 Miami, U. of 2 +47 F +22 313 306 619
14 Kentucky, U. of 2 +49 F +19 318 303 621
15 Princeton University 2 +57 F +31 314 315 629
MT SCORES
T8 Olivia Love +4 77-70=147
T24 Steph Gough +8 74-77=151
T36 Ashley Haggard +10 79-74=153
61 Karisa Akin +18 82-79=161
76 Stephanie Smith +24 86-81=167
•••
PEERS, MELO CLAIM SINGLES WINS
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – John Peers and Victor Melo continued to perform well on Saturday after winning their doubles bracket earlier in the day.
Peers, who is ranked 58th in the ITA, won his second singles match of the tournament defeating Sebastien Vidal of William and Mary. Peers will face Michael Shaboz, ranked 14th in the ITA poll.
"John is playing the No. 14 guy in the country from UVA in the morning and I am looking forward to watching him perform,” head coach David McNamara said. “This is why John plays tennis, this is why he has put the hard yards on and off the tennis court. John wants these opportunities against the best players in the country and tomorrow he gets one.”
“John played very well today and the hard work he has put in paid off. Tomorrow's match will be tough but John can believe in his game as much as I do then he should be fine.”
Melo defeated Tim Johanssen of VCU 6-3, 6-2 in the consolation bracket of A1 singles. Melo will face Maxime Armengaud of Indiana on Sunday.
“Victor showed today that he is ready for the All-American next week. When Victor gets this "look" in his eyes,that he wants it more than his opponent then I feel sorry for the guy on the other side of the net. Tomorrow Victor has a great opportunity for a good win,” McNamara said.
Results will be posted on goblueraiders.com at the end of play each day.
•••
PEERS, MELO SWEEP OPPONENTS IN DOUBLES
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – John Peers and Victor Melo swept their opponents on Saturday to win their doubles bracket at the UVA Ranked Plus One Invitational.
The duo ranked 22nd in the ITA poll began the day by defeating Robert Hall and Alejandro Calligari of Louisville 8-1.
Then the pair won their match 8-5 over Drew Courtney and Lee Singer of tournament host UVA.
“This was a really good warm-up for the guys. They hadn’t played together since the conference tournament in May and they looked pretty good. I am expecting great things next week at the All-American next weekend,” head coach David McNamara said.
With the wins the pair has earn a spot in the main draw of the ITA All-American tournament which begins next weekend.
Peers and Melo will play their singles matches beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
•••
SOCCER TEAM OFF TO BEST START EVER
Two goals in the first half, within four minutes of another, was all the Middle Tennessee soccer team needed to open successfully in Sun Belt action Friday night with a 2-0 home victory over FIU at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
The Blue Raiders extended their winning streak to four and unbeaten run to five matches with the victory. Middle Tennessee (7-1-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) also continued the best start in school history with its seventh win in the opening nine matches of the season.
Although visiting FIU controlled much of the offensive attack during the opening 45 minutes, holding an 8-4 shot advantage at the half, it was the Blue Raiders who found the back of the net behind goalie Melaine Raimo.
Junior Jaimee Cooper became the 12th different Middle Tennessee player to score in 2009 when she knocked home an assist from classmate Vanessa Mueggler on a corner kick at 31:47.
A short time later, a foul on the Golden Panthers inside the 18-yard box set up a penalty kick situation at 35:33. MT's Shan Jones lined up and placed it behind Raimo for her conference and team-leading eighth goal of the season, just three shy of the total she completed her freshman campaign with last fall.
The Blue Raiders were able to rebound offensively in the second half, holding a 7-4 edge on shots against FIU (2-5-2, 0-1 Sun Belt).
Sophomore Rebecca Cushing was tested in the cage for Middle Tennessee, but she finished with seven saves in registering her second solo shutout of the season.
Jones and freshman Paige Goeglein led the Blue Raiders with three shots apiece, while Marina Pappas was the top offensive threat for the Golden Panthers with four attempts.
Middle Tennessee will continue its Sun Belt-opening weekend with a noon Sunday match against Florida Atlantic, also at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium. The Owls dropped a 4-2 decision at Western Kentucky Friday.
•••
VOLLEYBALL TEAM REBOUNDS TO TOP WESTERN
The Blue Raiders battled on Friday night and came from behind to beat rival Western Kentucky 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 24-26, 25-20, 15-8) to open Sun Belt action.
“This was big for us because we beat one of the teams picked at the top of the conference, and we won a five-set match, which we had not done so far this season,” head coach Matt Peck said.
Middle Tennessee had a number of highlights on the night as senior Ashley Mead and Izabela Kozon reached the 1,000 kill in their careers. Mead ended the night with a team high 17 kills while Kozon notched eight of her own.
Middle Tennessee ended the night with 53 kills for a hitting percentage of .215 while holding Western Kentucky to just 49 kills and a .061 attack percentage.
In addition to the record-setting efforts of Mead and Kozon, sophomore Stacy Oladinni had 12 kills and senior Janay Yancey added eight.
Yancey also led the defensive attack at the net with a career-high 14 block assists. As a team, the Blue Raiders had 20.5 total blocks on the night.
Senior Leslie Clark set up the Blue Raider attack with 47 assists. Senior Ashley Waugh led the back row defense with 12 digs while Clark added 10 digs of her own.
The Hilltoppers come from behind to win the first set, 25-22, but Middle Tennessee rallied grab the second set 25-20 to knot the match 1-1. Mead closed the set with a kill, to join the 1000 kill club.
Western scored the last three points to claim a 26-24 win in the third set and a 2-1 lead in the match. For the Raiders, the highlight was Kozon’s 1000th career kill, as she joined Mead on the elite list.
Not to be denied, Middle Tennessee turned the tables on Western in the fourth set. The Hilltoppers took a 16-13 lead, but the Blue Raiders went on a 12-4 run to win the set 25-20 and tie the match at 2.
In the deciding fifth set, the Raiders took it to the Hilltoppers in decisive fashion, posting a 15-8 win and taking the hard-fought match 3-2.
Middle Tennessee’s win was the third in a row, and raised their record to 8-6. Western fell to 10-5.
The Blue Raiders will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Florida, playing at Florida Atlantic on Friday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. before facing pre-season Sun Belt favorite Florida International on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 12 p.m.
•••
MEN'S GOLF TIED FOR 8TH AT MASON RUDOLPH
FRANKLIN - Middle Tennessee opened play at the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate on Friday with a 1-under par 283 on the par 71 Vanderbilt Legends Club Golf Course. The Blue Raiders are tied for eighth overall in the 17-team field.
Fellow Sun Belt Conference member Arkansas State owns the first round lead after posting an impressive 12-under par 272. South Carolina stands in second with a 274 followed by Georgia Tech and Mississippi who both carded 275s. Notre Dame is in fifth with a 277.
Senior Craig Smith led the way for the Blue Raiders in round one with a solid 2-under par 69. Smith had a solid day with only one bogey and three birdies to tie for 15th overall.
Senior Kent Bulle also enjoyed a very steady day with a 1-under par 70 to tie for 24th. Bulle was 2-under for most of the day until he recorded his lone bogey on the 15th hole.
Freshman Hunter Green carded an even par 71 to tie for 33rd. Green had an inconsistent round with a 37 on the front side that included three bogeys before bouncing back the last nine with three birdies over his final six holes.
Sophomore Brad Simons shot a 2-over par 73 to tie for 50th while teammate Jason Millard had a disappointing day with a 74 to tie for 61st.
Middle Tennessee will play the second round on Saturday.
TEAM SCORES
1 Arkansas State U. -12 F -12 272 272
2 10 South Carolina -10 F -10 274 274
T3 3 Georgia Tech -9 F -9 275 275
T3 Mississippi, U. of -9 F -9 275 275
5 45 Notre Dame, U. of -7 F -7 277 277
6 35 Vanderbilt -4 F -4 280 280
7 South Alabama, U. of -2 F -2 282 282
T8 34 Middle Tennessee -1 F -1 283 283
T8 Memphis, U. of -1 F -1 283 283
10 Charleston, Coll. of +1 F +1 285 285
11 Akron, U. of +3 F +3 287 287
T12 48 Western Carolina U. +6 F +6 290 290
T12 Davidson College +6 F +6 290 290
14 Belmont University +13 F +13 297 297
15 Mississippi St. U. +15 F +15 299 299
16 Tennessee-Martin +19 F +19 303 303
17 Lipscomb Univ. +23 F +23 307 307
MT SCORES
T15 Craig Smith -2 (69)
T24 Kent Bulle -1 (70)
T33 Hunter Green E (71)
T50 Brad Simons +2 (73)
T61 Jason Millard +3 (74)
•••
WOMEN'S GOLF TIED FOR 11TH IN OPENER
LEXINGTON, KY - Middle Tennessee shot a 312 in its opening round of the rainy Bettie Lou Evans Fall Invite on Friday to stand in a tie for 11th place. The 54-hole tournament is being held at the par 72 University Club of Kentucky.
Ninth ranked Florida State grabbed the first round lead of the 15-team field by shooting a 298 and is three shots better than second place Coastal Carolina and UCF who both shot 301. Texas State is fourth and Chattanooga is fifth to round out the top five.
Sophomore Steph Gough paced the Blue Raiders with a 2-over par 74 in what was a roller coaster of a day. Gough, who is tied for fifth overall, turned in a team-best five birdies but also managed seven bogeys. Gough went 3-under par from hole seven to 15 and had a birdie on her last hole of the day for her 74.
"I am proud of the way Steph played in rainy conditions," said Head Coach Chris Adams. "She was strong during one stretch of her round and I hope she can build on this effort."
Freshman Olivia Love is tied for 28th after carding a 77 that included one birdie in her first collegiate tournament. Fellow freshman Ashley Haggard had a 79 to tie for 48th.
Sophomore Karisa Akin fired an 82 to tie for 63rd, while freshman Stephanie Smith recorded an 86 to tie for 73rd.
"We are a very young team and this was their first tournament so I am pleased with the way they handled things today," said Adams. "They know we have to remain tough as more rain is expected tomorrow."
The Blue Raiders will play the second round of the three-round event on Saturday.
TEAM SCORES
1 Florida State Univ. +10 F +10 298 298
T2 UCF +13 F +13 301 301
T2 Coastal Carolina +13 F +13 301 301
4 Texas State +14 F +14 302 302
5 Chattanooga +15 F +15 303 303
6 Notre Dame, U. of +16 F +16 304 304
7 Kennesaw State +17 F +17 305 305
8 Augusta State +22 F +22 310 310
T9 Fla. International +23 F +23 311 311
T9 Kentucky, U. of (B) +23 F +23 311 311
T11 Middle Tennessee +24 F +24 312 312
T11 Miami, U. of +24 F +24 312 312
T13 Mississippi St. U. +26 F +26 314 314
T13 Princeton University +26 F +26 314 314
15 Kentucky, U. of +30 F +30 318 318
MT Scores
T5 Steph Gough +2 (74)
T28 Olivia Love +5 (77)
T48 Ashley Haggard +7 (79)
T63 Karisa Akin +10 (82)
T73 Stephanie Smith +14 (86)
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