Mississippi State
Tulane
Bulldogs Blank Tulane 7-0 In Home Opening Match
February 12, 2011 | Men's Tennis
"It was a great crowd today and that is important for us because these guys feed off that crowd and it gives them energy when they play," said Coach Per Nilsson, who is now 4-0 in home openers in his career. "I think that was evident today with the way these guys played."
For the first time this season State captured the doubles point and they did it in a sweep, winning all three double matches. MSU's newcomer duo James Chaudry and Zach White, who were competing for the first time at home for the Maroon & White, improved their record to .500 with an 8-2 victory over Shaye Wali and Joe Young of Tulane on court two. At the No. 3 slot, State's Louis Cant and Malte Stropp captured their seventh victory of the season by defeating the Green Wave's Adam Bernstein and Rodrigo Rappaccioli, 8-2. Completing the sweep at the No. 1 position was State's 53rd-ranked tandem George Coupland and Artem Ilyushin, by winning, 8-6, over Tulane's Radu Ionescu and Idan Mark, giving the Green Wave duo their first loss of the dual match season.
Playing off the momentum from his three-set come-from-behind win on Thursday against Ole Miss, MSU's Ilyushin won in ease, 6-1, 6-0, at the No. 2 spot against Radu Ionescu of the Green Wave who was undefeated (5-0) before today's match. The win also marked the 40th victory of Ilyushin's career at MSU. On court three, the Bulldogs' 60th-ranked Cant snapped Tulane's Young's seven-match win streak and gave him his first dual match loss with a straight-set victory, 6-3,6-2. Cant has now won five of his last six matches.
State's Chaudry clinched the match for the Maroon and White on court four with a straight-set win of his own over Wali of Tulane, 6-3, 6-2. Chaudry is now 2-0 in dual match action and has won four-straight.
MSU's Stropp, who has now won five of his last six matches, defeated Tulane's Bernstein on court five, 6-3, 6-2. Bulldog freshman White finished strong and snapped a three-match skid with a 6-4, 7-6(7), win over the Green Wave's Rappaccioli on court six. Completing the shutout for MSU was Coupland who battled in a tiebreaker to claim the win over Mark of Tulane, 6-3, 7-6(4). Coupland also snapped a three-match skid of his own with the victory.
MSU improved to 10-6 all-time against Tulane, 6-1 at home against the Green Wave and was Coach Nilsson's first win over Tulane in as many tries. The win also snapped a current two-match losing streak for MSU who will play again tomorrow against the UAB Blazers.
"It is never easy to beat a team 7-0 and that is exactly what I told the guys," Coach Nilsson said. "I am proud of the way they battled and we have to come out here again tomorrow and do it again against a similar opponent in UAB."
The Bulldogs and Blazers will serve it up tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre where admission is free to all MSU home tennis matches and live stats will be made available at www.mstateathletics.com.
#32 Mississippi State 7, Tulane 0
Starkville, Miss. - 2/12/11
DOUBLES
No. 1 - #53 George Coupland/Artem Ilyushin (MSU) def. Radu Ionescu/Idan Mark (TUL) 8-6; No. 2 - James Chaudry/Zach White (MSU) def. Shaye Wali/Joe Young (TUL) 8-2; No. 3 - Louis Cant/Malte Stropp (MSU) def. Adam Bernstein/Rodigo Rappaccioli (TUL) 8-2; (Order of Finish: 2,3,1).
SINGLES
No. 1 - Coupland (MSU) def. Mark (TUL) 6-3, 7-6(4); No. 2 - Ilyushin (MSU) def. Ionescu (TUL) 6-1, 6-0; No. 3 - #60 Cant (MSU) def. Young (TUL) 6-3, 6-2; No. 4 - Chaudry (MSU) def. Wali (TUL) 6-3, 6-2; No. 5 -Stropp (MSU) def. Bernstein (TUL) 6-3, 6-2; No 6 - White (MSU) def. Rappoccioli (TUL) 6-4, 7-6(7); (Order of Finish:2,3,4,5,6,1).
Players Mentioned
