MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee's 51st-ranked men's tennis team picked up its first victory of the season Friday with a 5-2 triumph over Charleston Southern at the Racquet Club.
The visiting Buccaneers played with only four players in their first match of the spring after two players did not return after Christmas and one just underwent wrist surgery. The match also marked the return of Blue Raider senior Daniel Klemetz, who missed the opening two matches of the season after having knee surgery in November.
Middle Tennessee won both doubles matches played, as the 10th-ranked tandem of Klemetz and Kirk Jackson defeated CSU's Rodrigo Villarroel and Santiago Falla, 8-4, while Brandon Allan and Greg Pollack won 8-3 over Oliver Zimmerman and Nathan Forster.
In singles the two squads split the four matches, with 92nd-ranked Jackson winning 7-6 (5), 6-2 over 90th-rated Zimmerman at No. 1, and Short defeating Forster, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 4. Jackson and Zimmerman each had a difficult time holding serve, as six straight games saw a break of serve before Jackson held for a 6-5 lead. The junior from Melbourne, Australia, then held on to win enough points and take the tiebreaker, 7-5.
The Buccaneers picked up a pair of three-set victories, both in supertiebreakers, as Fallo took care of Allan at No. 3, 3-6, 6-2, 10-8, and Villarroel won 6-4, 5-7, 10-8, over Anant Sitaram at No. 2.
The Blue Raiders host 52nd-rated Indiana State Sunday at the Racquet Club starting at Noon.
#51 MIDDLE TENNESSEE 5, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 2
SINGLES
1. (92) Kirk Jackson (MT) def. (90) Oliver Zimmerman (CSU), 7-6 (5), 6-2
2. Rodrigo Villarroel (CSU) def. Anant Sitaram (MT), 6-4, 5-7, 10-8
3. Santiago Fallo (CSU) def. Brandon Allan (MT), 3-6, 6-2, 10-8
4. Trevor Short (MT) def. Nathan Forster (CSU), 6-1, 6-1
5. Greg Pollack (MT) won, default
6. Rishan Kuruppu (MT) won, default
DOUBLES
1. (10) Daniel Klemetz-Jackson (MT) def. Falla-Villarroel (CSU), 8-4
2. Allan-Pollack (MT) def. Zimmerman-Forster (CSU), 8-3
3. Short-Michael Staniak (MT) won, default
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