Mississippi State
St. Mary's
State Netters Oust St. Mary's 4-0 To Conclude Action At ITA Kickoff Weekend
January 31, 2009 | Men's Tennis
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Mississippi State's men's tennis team registered a solid victory Saturday evening in their second match as part of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Kickoff Weekend, as the 56th-ranked Bulldogs shut out 49th-ranked St. Mary's 4-0 on the USC campus.
The Bulldogs (1-1) looked very impressive against the Gaels (1-3) in both doubles and and singles.
To start the match, State registered identical 8-2 wins at the No. 2 and 3 positions to claim the first point between the teams. At No. 2, MSU's Antonio Lastre and Daniel Sanchez downed the SMC duo of Steve Dawson-Roberts and Lucas Tirelli (SMC). On court 3, the rookie State tandem of Louis Cant and Artem Ilyushin bested Achim Christner and Andrea Zannoni. Bulldogs Chris Doerr and Tanner Stump were also just a game away from victory, leading 7-2 in their contest at the top spot, when play was suspended after the Bulldogs clinched the point.
MSU took little time in dispensing of the Gaels in singles either, posting straight-set triumphs at the bottom three positions in the lineup to sure up the team win.
Giving MSU a 2-0 lead was the freshman Cant, who dispatched St. Mary's Hamdy 6-0, 6-2 at the No. 4 spot. Following suit was the sophomore Lastre with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over SMC's Zannoni at No. 5.
The match clincher would be provided by the Bulldog junior Doerr who cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Yousse El Bouzkouri at No. 6. State held one-set leads on two of the remaining three courts when play was suspended at that point.
"It felt good to bounce back with a good win after losing our opener yesterday," MSU head coach Per Nilsson said. "As young as we are - with three true freshmen in the lineup - we just aren't quite there physically yet. But our guys are recognizing that and are ready to work to get better. This was a solid victory against a quality opponent."
The Bulldogs next meet arch-rival Ole Miss in the annual River Hills Cup in Jackson. The battle will take place at River Hills Club this Thursday, Feb. 5, at 5 p.m. CT.
#56 MISSISSISSIPPI STATE 4, #49 ST. MARY'S COLLEGE 0
Los Angeles, Calif. ? 1/31/09
DOUBLES
Chris Doerr/Tanner Stump (MSU) vs. Sherif Hamdy/Leon Gavin (SMC) 7-2, susp.; Antonio Lastre/Daniel Sanchez (MSU) def. Steve Dawson-Roberts/Lucas Tirelli (SMC) 8-2; Louis Cant/Artem Ilyushin (MSU) def. Achim Christner/Andrea Zannoni (SMC) 8-2.
SINGLES
Sanchez (MSU) vs. Tirelli (SMC) 1-6, 5-3, susp.; Ryan Farlow (MSU) vs. Christner (SMC) 6-1, 3-4, susp.; Ilyushin (MSU) vs. Leon (SMC) 6-1, 5-4, susp.; Cant (MSU) def. Hamdy (SMC) 6-0, 6-2; Lastre (MSU) def. Zannoni (SMC) 6-1, 6-2; Doerr (MSU) def. Yousse El Bouzkouri (SMC) 6-2, 6-2.
Players Mentioned
