After coming away with two singles wins and two doubles wins at the top spot in the Middle Tennessee lineup on Saturday, Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore was named Conference USA Men’s Tennis Player of the week, the conference office announced Tuesday.
“Gonzalo spent some time making adjustments last week, and they paid off,” MT head coach Jimmy Borendame said. “When he finds the right mix of playing aggressively, he is a very dangerous player.”
The Perth, Australia, native helped to give the Blue Raiders a 4-3 victory over George Washington in the first match of the Saturday doubleheader with his 7-5, 6-3 triumph at the No. 1 spot in the lineup. Morell also showed his dominance against Alabama A&M, taking down his opponent by a score of 6-1, 6-0 at the top of the lineup.
In doubles action, Morell paired with freshman Tom Moonen for two commanding wins, including a 6-1 win over their opponents from George Washington to propel the Blue Raiders to earn the first point in the match. Morell and Moonen then blanked the Bulldogs, 6-0, at the No. 1 doubles spot on Saturday afternoon.
The player of the week award is the first of Morell’s career. He was named to the All-C-USA First Team Singles and First Team Doubles lists at the end of the 2016 season.
Morell and the Blue Raiders will be in action again this weekend as they travel to Wisconsin to face the Badgers on Friday night, followed by a match Sunday morning against Western Michigan at the Adams Tennis Complex.
