Mississippi State
ITA Southern Region Indoor Championships
MSU Netters Fall In Final Day Of ITA Southern Regionals
October 25, 2009 | Men's Tennis
State's sophomore George Coupland who is ranked 109th nationally, had his five-match win-streak snapped in his finals match against Auburn's 54th-ranked Tim Puetz, 6-3, 6-1. It was Coupland's first loss in six matches against regional opponents this fall. The loss also ended his chances of an automatic bid to the ITA Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, which will begin on Nov. 5, in New Haven, Conn., hosted by Yale. Coupland now awaits for his chances of earning an at-large bid to the ITA national event.
The Bulldog duo of Coupland and sophomore Artem Ilyushin slipped up in their semifinals match today against Trey Walston and Houssam Yassine of Alabama, 9-8(3), snapping the tandem's three-match win-streak. The MSU duo still has an outside shot of entering the ITA Intercollegiate Indoor Championships as well, in hopes that they receive an at-large bid for the tournament.
"We have high goals for this program and we have to get tougher to be able to reach them," said head coach Per Nilsson. "Overall it was a good tournament for us."
MSU turns their focus to the Alabama Invitational, played in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Oct. 30.
ITA SOUTHERN REGIONALS
New Orleans, La. - 10/25/09
SINGLES
Finals - #54 Tim Puetz (Auburn) def. #109 George Coupland (MSU) 6-3, 6-1.
DOUBLES
Semifinals - Trey Walston/Houssam Yassine (Alabama) def. Coupland/Artem Ilyushin (MSU) 9-8(3).
