KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - For the second week in a row, the Blue Raiders are off to a hot start through two rounds as they sit in fifth place at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in Knoxville with a 36-hole total of 23-over par (294-297=591).

Middle Tennessee fired a 10-over 294 in round one to sit in fourth at midday and followed that up with a 13-over 297 in the second round to drop one spot through 36 holes.

Hanley Long continued her excellent play to start the season on Monday, carding rounds of 2-under 69 and 1-over 72 to give her the outright individual lead at 1-under par (141) entering the final round Tuesday at Cherokee Country Club.

Long is joined in the Top 10 by freshman Catherine Caudill, whose back-to-back rounds of 2-over 73 have her tied for eighth at 4-over par (146) with 18 holes left to play. 

Middle Tennessee will open the day Tuesday just one stroke back of host Tennessee and six strokes off the pace set by tournament leader Charlotte.

The Blue Raiders tee off Tuesday alongside Tennessee and Illinois in a 7:30 CT shotgun start.

NOTABLES

• MT's opening round 10-over 294 bested all three rounds posted by the Blue Raiders in the same event two seasons ago while the 13-over 297 in round two matched their best round from 2016
• The Blue Raiders along with Charlotte, Maryland and Illinois are the only teams to rank in the Top 7 in the field in both total pars (105) and birdies (19) through 36 holes
• Senior Hanley Long's eagle on the Par 5 15th hole in round one is the second of the season for the Blue Raiders in as many tournaments
• Long, who captured her fourth career Top 5 finish last week in Minnesota, is chasing the first individual title of her career and the first for a Blue Raider since Jenna Burris captured the 2017 Conference USA individual title

QUOTABLES

"We had a solid start to the day today despite battling rain off and on all day long. Hanley played great and Catherine and Sophie battled for us all day. We just need to get a little better finish from our other players to help us keep moving up the leaderboard in the final round." - Head Coach Chris Adams

"I played great today but what matters is the number after the last round. Tomorrow I just need to go out there super relaxed and stay patient. If we hit our spots on the trickier holes tomorrow and take advantage of the par fives then I'm confident that the team can move up the leaderboard and I could give myself a chance at winning tomorrow. I'm really proud of the team for stepping up especially with Jenna injured. We're at a great spot with some competitive teams. It's kind of nice being the underdog because the attention isn't focused on us and we can just play our games." - Senior Hanley Long