CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Austin Peay State University men's tennis team makes the trip down I-24 when it faces No. 21 Middle Tennessee in a 4:30 p.m., Sunday match at the Adams Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro.
Austin Peay (1-2) has split its last two matches, earning a 5-2 win against Oakland City, Jan. 29, before dropping a 5-2 decision at Saint Louis, Feb. 3.
Freshman Sota Minami made his collegiate debut against the Billikens and paired with fellow freshman Aeneas Schaub to earn his first-career doubles victory. APSU's sophomore pairing of Tom Bolton and Giovanni Becchis earned their first win of the season together, while Bolton also claimed the Govs' lone singles point in the loss.
Middle Tennessee (8-3, 1-0 CUSA) had a five-match winning streak come to an end following a 4-3 loss to Oklahoma State, Friday.
The Blue Raiders have three nationally-ranked singles players in No. 80 Stijn Slumn, No. 91 Oskar Brostrom Pouslen and No. 122 Francisco Rocha. Pouslen and Rocha also are the No. 23 ranked in Division I this season.
Scouting the Blue Raiders
2023Â Record:Â 8-3 (1-0 CUSA)
The Blue Raiders 2023 Season:Â The Blue Raiders opened their season with back-to-back Power Five wins in victories against Michigan State and Indiana. After dropping a 5-2 match to Mississippi State, MTSU split its stay at the ITA Kickoff Weekend with a 4-2 win against No. 19 Duke, before dropping a 4-2 decision to No. 10 Wake Forest. The Blue Raiders won five-straight matches before their loss to Oklahoma State, Friday.
2022Â Record:Â 28-5 (2-0 CUSA)
2022Â Season Result:Â Middle Tennessee won its third-straight Conference USA Tournament Championship last and earned a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament where they shutout UNCW before falling to NC State, 4-3, in the second round.Â
Last Meeting:Â The Governors fell to Middle Tennessee, 7-0, Jan. 31, 2021 in Murfreesboro.
Up Next
The Governors end a three-match road trip with a 1 p.m., Friday contest at Alabama A&M before returning to Clarksville for the first time this season and beginning six-straight match homestand to end nonconference play.
