Saturday, May 12
Starkville
1:00 PM
Mississippi State
4
vs
0
South Alabama
MSU advances to the NCAA Round of 16 for the 13th time in program history and the second time in the last three seasons.
Photo by: Blake Williams/MSU Athletics
No. 7 Bulldog Tennis Blanks South Alabama To Advance To NCAA Round Of 16
May 12, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. –For the 13thtime in program history, and the second time in the last three seasons, the Mississippi State men's tennis team is headed to the NCAA Round of 16.
The Bulldogs (22-2), the No. 6 national seed, did so in dominant fashion, shutting out South Alabama (15-10), 4-0, in front of the largest home crowd of the 2018 season. With the win, MSU captured its 22ndwin—the most since the 1979 squad went 25-2.
MSU will face 11th-seeded and No. 12 Texas in the Round of 16 next Friday, May 18, at 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Longhorns advanced with a 4-0 victory against Cal on Saturday in Austin.
"The guys did a great job the last two days and enjoyed our great home crowd," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "We played well in doubles today and then the guys took care of the first hour of singles, which usually puts us in a good position to close it out."
MSU's No. 3 doubles tandem of Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey got the Bulldogs off to a quick start, breezing past USA's Santiago di Loreto and Maxime Lapraille, 6-0. The Jaguars evened up the doubles count with a 6-2 upset win by 51st-ranked Clement Marzol and Loic Cloes over top-ranked Bulldogs Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic on court 1.
Under a minute later, the 38th-ranked Bulldog duo Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory against Olivier Gingras and Sacha Modica. The Bulldogs have now won nine straight doubles points and 18 of their last 20.
State got off to another hot start in singles, taking four first sets. Braun was first off the courts Saturday, taking a 6-2, 6-3 decision at No. 4 against Lucas Gonzalez to put MSU up 2-0.
On court 6, Foshey increased State's lead to 3-0 when he finished off a 6-2, 6-4 victory over USA's Lapraille. Just moments later, Oradini served for the match over on court 2. There, the 23rd-ranked sophomore clinched his second match in as many days (and team-leading 11thof the year), taking a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Cloes to propel MSU to the Round of 16.
"I know we have been putting a lot of hard work in, so it is great to keep playing," Oradini said. "I am really happy that we made it. We did an unbelievable job, winning both days 4-0. The crowd was awesome, and knowing that people came and bought tickets makes us feel special, and we appreciate the love and support from people who came out to watch."
Borges' match on court 1 was suspended with the second-ranked junior up a set, while Rakic led 4-3 in his second frame and Broska led 3-1 in the second at the clincher on courts 3 and 5, respectively, after each dropping tight first sets.
MSU moves to 14-7 all-time against USA, including having won three straight in the series. The Bulldogs also finished the season a perfect 12-0 at home, marking the fourth team in program history to finish unblemished on the home courts.
"That was the biggest crowd we've had all year and we enjoyed playing in front of them," Roberts said. "We love our fans and we love Mississippi State. It's great to play in front of them and showcase our competitive fire and what we're all about."
Next Up For MSU…
MSU advances to the NCAA Round of 16 for the second time in three seasons, with the last coming in 2016. There, the Bulldogs will take the court against 11th-seeded Texas at 11 a.m. CT on Friday, May 18, in Winston-Salem, N.C.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 7 Mississippi State 4, South Alabama 0
2018 NCAA Championship – Second Round
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Starkville, Miss.
May 12, 2018
Doubles
1. #51 Loic Cloes/Clement Marzol (USA) def. #1 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2
2. #38 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Olivier Gingras/Sacha Modica (USA) 6-3
3. Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Santiago di Loreto/Maxime Lapraille (USA) 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. #2 Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. Clement Marzol (USA) 6-4, 4-4 (susp.)
2. #23 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Loic Cloes (USA) 6-3, 6-4
3. #84 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) vs. Sacha Modica (USA) 4-6, 4-3 (susp.)
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Lucas Gonzalez (USA) 6-2, 6-3
5. Florian Broska (MSU) vs. Olivier Gingras (USA) 6-7(3), 3-1 (susp.)
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Maxime Lapraille (USA) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 4, 6, 2
The Bulldogs (22-2), the No. 6 national seed, did so in dominant fashion, shutting out South Alabama (15-10), 4-0, in front of the largest home crowd of the 2018 season. With the win, MSU captured its 22ndwin—the most since the 1979 squad went 25-2.
MSU will face 11th-seeded and No. 12 Texas in the Round of 16 next Friday, May 18, at 12 p.m. ET (11 a.m. CT) at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Longhorns advanced with a 4-0 victory against Cal on Saturday in Austin.
"The guys did a great job the last two days and enjoyed our great home crowd," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "We played well in doubles today and then the guys took care of the first hour of singles, which usually puts us in a good position to close it out."
MSU's No. 3 doubles tandem of Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey got the Bulldogs off to a quick start, breezing past USA's Santiago di Loreto and Maxime Lapraille, 6-0. The Jaguars evened up the doubles count with a 6-2 upset win by 51st-ranked Clement Marzol and Loic Cloes over top-ranked Bulldogs Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic on court 1.
Under a minute later, the 38th-ranked Bulldog duo Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory against Olivier Gingras and Sacha Modica. The Bulldogs have now won nine straight doubles points and 18 of their last 20.
State got off to another hot start in singles, taking four first sets. Braun was first off the courts Saturday, taking a 6-2, 6-3 decision at No. 4 against Lucas Gonzalez to put MSU up 2-0.
On court 6, Foshey increased State's lead to 3-0 when he finished off a 6-2, 6-4 victory over USA's Lapraille. Just moments later, Oradini served for the match over on court 2. There, the 23rd-ranked sophomore clinched his second match in as many days (and team-leading 11thof the year), taking a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Cloes to propel MSU to the Round of 16.
"I know we have been putting a lot of hard work in, so it is great to keep playing," Oradini said. "I am really happy that we made it. We did an unbelievable job, winning both days 4-0. The crowd was awesome, and knowing that people came and bought tickets makes us feel special, and we appreciate the love and support from people who came out to watch."
Borges' match on court 1 was suspended with the second-ranked junior up a set, while Rakic led 4-3 in his second frame and Broska led 3-1 in the second at the clincher on courts 3 and 5, respectively, after each dropping tight first sets.
MSU moves to 14-7 all-time against USA, including having won three straight in the series. The Bulldogs also finished the season a perfect 12-0 at home, marking the fourth team in program history to finish unblemished on the home courts.
"That was the biggest crowd we've had all year and we enjoyed playing in front of them," Roberts said. "We love our fans and we love Mississippi State. It's great to play in front of them and showcase our competitive fire and what we're all about."
Next Up For MSU…
MSU advances to the NCAA Round of 16 for the second time in three seasons, with the last coming in 2016. There, the Bulldogs will take the court against 11th-seeded Texas at 11 a.m. CT on Friday, May 18, in Winston-Salem, N.C.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 7 Mississippi State 4, South Alabama 0
2018 NCAA Championship – Second Round
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Starkville, Miss.
May 12, 2018
Doubles
1. #51 Loic Cloes/Clement Marzol (USA) def. #1 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2
2. #38 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Olivier Gingras/Sacha Modica (USA) 6-3
3. Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Santiago di Loreto/Maxime Lapraille (USA) 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. #2 Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. Clement Marzol (USA) 6-4, 4-4 (susp.)
2. #23 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Loic Cloes (USA) 6-3, 6-4
3. #84 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) vs. Sacha Modica (USA) 4-6, 4-3 (susp.)
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Lucas Gonzalez (USA) 6-2, 6-3
5. Florian Broska (MSU) vs. Olivier Gingras (USA) 6-7(3), 3-1 (susp.)
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Maxime Lapraille (USA) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 4, 6, 2
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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