Mississippi State
Alabama
Bulldog Tennis Drops Home Heartbreaker To Alabama, 4-3
April 09, 2010 | Men's Tennis
It was the fourth-straight time that State has fallen to Bama, who is coached by former Bulldog Billy Pate, and is MSU is now 4-3 at home this season. This is the third match that MSU has dropped where they held a lead while they were merely one point away from clinching.
"It has not been easy to lose so many close matches," said head coach Per Nilsson. "But, the only thing we can do is to continue to work harder and not lose focus."
For the third-straight match, MSU took an early 1-0 lead by claiming the doubles point. Bulldog tandem, George Coupland and Artem Ilyushin improved to 5-1 when facing ranked opponents by defeating 64th-nationally ranked Crimson Tide duo Saketh Myneni and Michael Davis at the No. 1 position, 8-4. It was Coupland and Ilyushin's fifth victory in its last six outings as they earned their 10th win of the dual match season and improved to 6-2 in SEC play. MState clinched the doubles point at the No. 3 spot when State's doubles team Louis Cant and Chris Doerr won their third-straight by taking down Alabama's Jarryd Botha and Trey Walston, 8-6. The loss snapped a three-match winning streak by the Tide's No. 3 doubles team, while Cant and Doerr are now winners of six of their last seven and are 6-2 in conference action. With the doubles point clinched, play was suspended at the No. 2 position where the Bulldogs Daniel Sanchez and Tanner Stump were tied with Bama's Ricky Doverspike and Michael Thompson, 5-5.
The Tide evened the score at the No. 1 spot, when the Bulldogs' 67th-ranked Cant fell in straight sets to the reigning SEC Player of the Week and No. 31 nationally ranked Myneni of Alabama, 6-4, 6-2.
MState claimed the next two points of the match, first at the No. 6 position. State's sophomore Sanchez snapped a two-match skid by downing the Crimson Tide's Davis in identical sets, 7-5, 7-5. At the No. 3 spot, 125th-ranked Coupland of MSU trailed 5-1 in the first set before rallying and claiming 12 of the next 15 games to take the match, 7-6(3), 6-2, over Thompson of Bama, giving State a 3-1 lead.
Alabama's rally began at the No. 5 slot, with junior Antonio Lastre of the Bulldogs slipping up in a two-set bout to Houssam Yassine of the Tide, 6-3, 7-6(6). At the No. 4 spot, MSU sophomore Max Gregor controlled a one-set lead over Bama's Botha, but eventually dropped the match in a close tiebreaking decision in the third set, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5), to tie the score at three all.
With the score tied, all focus turned to court No. 2, where Bulldog sophomore Ilyushin was in a third-set battle. Ilyushin swapped serves with the Crimson Tide's Doverspike till the deciding point called for a tiebreaker, in which Doverspike won and clinched the match for the Crimson Tide, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(2).
The Bulldogs will look to snap their skid this Sunday at home against the 37th-ranked Auburn Tigers. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.; there will also be a special presentation honoring MSU's lone senior Doerr.
#28 ALABAMA 4, #55 MISSISSIPPI STATE 3
Starkville, Miss. - 4/9/10
DOUBLES
No. 1 - George Coupland/Artem Ilyushin (MSU) def. #64 Michael Davis/Saketh Myneni (Alabama) 8-4; No. 2 - Daniel Sanchez/ Tannner Stump (MSU) vs. Ricky Doverspike/Michael Thompson (Alabama) 5-5, susp.; No. 3 - Louis Cant/Chris Doerr (MSU) def. Jarryd Botha/Trey Walston (Alabama) 8-6; (Order of Finish:1,3 ).
SINGLES
No. 1 - #31 Myneni (Alabama) def. #67 Cant (MSU) 6-4, 6-2; No. 2 - Doverspike (Alabama) def. Ilyushin (MSU) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(2); No. 3 - #125 Coupland (MSU) def. Thompson (Alabama) 7-6(3), 6-2; No. 4 - Botha (Alabama) def. Max Gregor (MSU) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(5); No. 5 - Houssam Yassine (Alabama) def. Antonio Lastre (MSU) 6-3, 7-6(6); No. 6 - Sanchez (MSU) def. Davis (Alabama) 7-5, 7-5; (Order of Finish:1,6,3,5,4,2 ).
