Mississippi State
Boise State
#15 State Tennis Posts Second Shutout On Day One Of Blue-Gray
February 25, 2012 | Men's Tennis
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - In the second of two matches, Mississippi State's 15th-ranked men's tennis team took a 4-0 decision over #44 Boise State to earn a 2-0 slate on the first day at the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic on Saturday.
Following an easy 4-0 triumph over Cornell earlier in the day, State breezed through the Broncos in the same fashion.
Deciding the match in singles play, 71st-ranked Artem Ilyushin was the first to finish as he quickly ousted No. 34 James Meredith of Boise State 6-3, 6-1 giving MSU the 1-0 lead.
Extending the lead to 2-0 was 83rd-ranked senior Louis Cant. Breezing through BSU's Scott Sears, Cant took a quick two-setter 6-2, 6-1. Also earning his second win of the day was sophomore Malte Stropp, ranked 109th in the recent ITA poll. Battling head-to-head with his Bronco foe, Andy Bettles, Stropp took a 6-4, 6-3 decision at #3 giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
Clinching the match for MSU was sophomore Zach White. Facing Boise State's Filipp Pogostkin, White earned the 6-3, 6-3 victory in the sixth position, his first match-clincher of the season.
Play was suspended on all remaining courts at that point. James Chaudry of MSU had battled back from a 5-3 deficit in the first set to hold a 7-5, 2-2, advantage on court 2. 42nd-ranked George Coupland was battling in the No. 5 spot, trying to earn a split down 6-4, 6-5.
MSU is scheduled to face 23rd-ranked Texas Tech tomorrow at the Lagoon Park Tennis Center. Sunday's match times will be released late Saturday night at the conclusion of all matches. The two best teams remaining by the end of tomorrow's matches will compete in a doubles bout to decide the tournament champion.
Live stats will be provided through www.hailstate.com. Also, follow @mstateMT on Twitter for live updates.
#15 Mississippi State 4, #44 Boise State 0
2/25/12 - O'Connor Tennis Center - Montgomery, Ala.
SINGLES
1) #71 Artem Ilyushin (MSU) def. #34 James Meredith (BSU) 6-3, 6-1
2) James Chaudry (MSU) vs. #51 Damian Hume (BSU) 7-5, 2-2 (susp.)
3) #109 Malte Stropp (MSU) vs. Andy Bettles (BSU) 6-4, 6-3
4) #83 Louis Cant (MSU) vs. Scott Sears (BSU) 6-2, 6-1
5) #42 George Coupland (MSU) vs. Nathan Sereke (BSU) 4-6, 5-6 (susp.)
6) Zach White (MSU) vs. Filipp Pogostkin (BSU) 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish... Singles (1,4,3,6)
Players Mentioned
