Middle Tennessee soccer dominated Conference USA over the weekend at Dean A. Hayes Track and Soccer Stadium, taking all six points from their pair of matches against Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State.
 
"Six points, whether it's home or away, on a weekend is not an easy thing to do," Head Coach Aston Rhoden said. "Even if you're at home, you saw how tough this second game was for us. For us to come out of this weekend, not only with six points, but with seven goals for and two against, bodes well going forward."
 

 
The Blue Raiders, who averaged giving up 2.67 goals per game through their first nine contests in 2024, have given up just 0.75 goals per game in their last four contests, including this weekend's 3-0 rout of the Gamecocks and 4-2 drubbing of the Owls. That, coupled with a strong offensive threat that's seen six different Blue Raiders score multiple goals this season through 13 games, has helped MTSU into a tie atop the CUSA standings at the end of play of Sunday.
 
"It's a more collective effort, just the consistency of people playing together over time and them buying into the defensive schemes both in possession and out of possession," Rhoden said of the defense. "I think that's where the growth is coming from."
 
MTSU will be back in action at home this Sunday when it welcomes WKU to Murfreesboro. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
 

 
Football prepares for midweek clash with LA Tech
 
Middle Tennessee football coach Derek Mason was grateful for the open week ahead of Thursday's game at Louisiana Tech, kicking off at 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, for a variety of reasons. It allowed his team to get healthier, for one, but it also allowed for the competitive spirit to come out at practice.
 
"The thing that we did focus and concentrate on was us," Mason said. "It gave us time to have fundamental practices, good-on-good, speed-on-speed. Which was really needed."
 
It was an approach offensive lineman Ellis Adams appreciated, allowing his unit time to assess the fundamentals they needed heading into CUSA play the rest of the season.
 
"It doesn't matter how the quarterback gets sacked, it's on us," Adams said. "No matter what happens, it's on us. I try to preach to the guys to stay together, we know what we need to do, and we just need to do it."
 
It also made the transition to midweek play, a staple of Conference USA action in the month of October, maybe a little bit easier to get into given the free time to adjust the normal game week practice schedule earlier into your prep, making your Monday practice more like a Wednesday practice during a normal game week, for instance. But given it's Mason's first year playing the midweek CUSA schedule, he'll have to get back to you on if things are going well in the timeline transition.
 
"We've made the adjustment, at least time wise from the days, but I don't know how effective it will be until we've had a chance to go through it," Mason said.
 
On the injury front, the head coach name dropped a plethora of Blue Raiders that are close to returning to play during his Monday press conference, including a trio of defensive backs (Tyrell Raby, De'Arre McDonald and Trevon Ferrell) as well as a pair of running backs (Frank Peasant and Jekail Middlebrook).
 

 
Volleyball picks up two wins ahead of critical CUSA week
 
Middle Tennessee volleyball got back to their winning ways over the weekend at Alumni Memorial Gymnasium, taking both matches against FIU ahead of a four-match week in CUSA play. The Blue Raiders ended the weekend with a sweep on Saturday, riding double-digit kill afternoons from Adriana Rhoda and Aowyn Schrader to the three-set win on Saturday.
 

 
Freshman setter Andi Spies picked up her third freshman of the week award from the CUSA office this week, recording 79 assists across seven sets against the Panthers, good for 11.29 assists/set. She also added nine kills and six blocks as a six-rotation player for the Blue Raiders.
 

 
The highlight of the weekend, however, came on Friday, when both MTSU and FIU ran out of subs late in the third set, forcing 5-foot-7 defensive specialist Ally Magre to play on the front row. Facing a set point from the Panthers, the freshman rose above the net on a FIU attack to get the block with Emma Nilson, sparking a three-point run that won MTSU the set!
 

 
Volleyball will travel to WKU for matches on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, before returning home to the AMG for a pair of matches against Jax State on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Women's Basketball takes over NCAA March Madness this week!
 
Women's basketball welcomed the social media staff from the NCAA to campus last week for filming for this week's College Road Trip! Make sure to follow @MarchMadnessWBB on X and Instagram to not miss any of the content (though if you follow @MT_WBB on Instagram, you've likely already seen today's posts already!).
 
First up was a visit to Shelbyville Central High School with Coach Rick and Matt Insell, who shared their perspective on their roots in coaching. Lots more content is planned, so stay tuned for more throughout the week!
  
Thank you, Old Pro!
 

 
Game Times (mostly) finalized for 2024-25 Basketball season
 
Middle Tennessee Athletics is excited to announce the official home game times for the upcoming men's and women's basketball seasons. Fans can now plan their schedules to support the Blue Raiders in the Murphy Center as they prepare for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
 
The full schedules, including game times and dates, is available on the MTSU Athletics website. For men's basketball, click here. For women's basketball, click here. Per Conference USA's media rights agreement, certain game times are subject to change as broadcast schedules are finalized.
 
Ticket Information
Women's basketball season tickets are $135 per seat, and Men's season tickets are $175 per seat. Fans also may purchase a combination of both men's and women's season tickets at a discounted rate of $235.  The "Combo Package" can only be purchased by contacting the ticket office directly. MTSU staff and faculty also may purchase discounted season tickets by contacting the ticket office at 615-898-5261.
 
Women's Tennis hosts ITA Regionals on campus this week!
 
Tennis fans in Murfreesboro will be able to enjoy some top flight action in the Ohio Valley Regional of the ITA this weekend on campus in Murfreesboro, as Women's Tennis hosts ITA Regionals starting on Thursday.
 
Check out Jake Bolden, with the independent Blue Raider podcast, who had a great interview with Women's Tennis Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall on the ITA Regional last week! His interview with Bailey-Duvall starts at the 52:39 mark in the episode.
 

 
The Blue Raider Network expands its reach
 
Always nice to see new radio stations come on as homes for the Blue Raider Network from Van Wagner. That's especially true in the middle Tennessee footprint, where WZYX makes its mark to the south of campus in Franklin County.
 
Check out all the new ways to listen to Chip Walters, Joe Dubin and the rest of the Blue Raider Network crew below!