Mississippi State
NCAA Individual Championships
Bulldogs Ilyushin, Coupland Fall In NCAA Singles Championship
May 25, 2011 | Men's Tennis
Ilyushin, ranked 61st, dropped a 6-1, 6-1 decision to UCLA's 37th-ranked Daniel Kosakowski, while Coupland was bested by Tennessee's 11th-ranked J.P. Smith, a 9-16 seed, 6-1, 6-3.
"It was a tough day for Artem and George. They both came out a little nervous in their first taste of NCAA singles, but it was great experience for both of them to get," MSU head coach Per Nilsson said. "We look forward to having them back next year as seniors to help lead our team to more success like we enjoyed this season."
Wednesday's competition officially ended the 2010-11 MSU men's tennis campaign. As a team, the Bulldogs posted their best record in 13 years, claimed the SEC Western Division crown, and made the program's 20th all-time NCAA appearance, reaching the second round.
Individually, three Bulldogs (Ilyushin, Coupland and Louis Cant) were named all-SEC, Nilsson was named SEC Coach of the Year and rookie Malte Stropp was the league's Freshman of the Year.
MSU RESULTS FROM THE 2011 NCAA SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP
May 25, 2011 - Palo Alto, Calif.
SINGLES
First Round - #37 Daniel Kosakowski (UCLA) def. #61
Artem Ilyushin (MSU) 6-1, 6-1; #11 J.P. Smith (Tennessee) def. #60 George
Coupland (MSU) 6-1, 6-3.
(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)
Players Mentioned
