Mississippi State
LSU
No. 10 Bulldogs Down No. 27 LSU 6-1; Remain In SEC West Lead
April 01, 2012 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Now on a four-match win streak, Mississippi State's 10th-ranked men's tennis crew (15-4, 6-1 SEC) downed the No. 27 Tigers of LSU (11-8, 2-5 SEC) 6-1 in an SEC Western Division matchup on Saturday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
With the victory, State remained in sole possession of first place in the SEC West and is currently tied for second overall in the league with #3 Georgia and behind #9 Kentucky, who downed UGA 4-3 on Friday.
As doubles play began Saturday, the two SEC West foes were in a quick battle on all courts. With both teams holding serving on court 2, MSU's No. 43 George Coupland and Artem Ilyushin were able to take the break at 3-3 and keep the momentum as they tailed an impressive 8-4 victory over LSU's Olivier Borsos and Tom Knights at No. 2.
In the top spot for MSU was the 32nd-ranked tandem of Louis Cant and Malte Stropp. Falling behind with an early break 3-1, the Bulldog duo would battle back for an 8-4 win over Neal Skupski and Chris Simpson, giving MSU the 1-0 lead.
On court 3, Zach White and Ethan Wilkinson of MSU were in a tight match as LSU's pair of Roger Anderson and James Turberville battled back from down 7-4 to tie it at 7-7. Heading to a tiebreak, the Bulldog tandem would cruise past their Tiger foes 8-7(3).
Swinging to singles action, the Bulldogs would keep the momentum, taking five out of six first sets. The first to finish would be the 15th-ranked Ilyushin as he easily breezed through his 55th-ranked Tiger foe Borsos, 6-2, 6-1 in the top spot, extending MSU's lead to 2-0. Ilyushin has now won 10 of his last 11 matches and is undefeated at 7-0 in the SEC.
Two matches then finished almost simultaneously as State clinched the team win. MSU's 46th-ranked Coupland finished a two-setter on court 5 for the Bulldogs, downing Stefan Szacinski of LSU 6-2, 6-3. The match clincher came from the No. 3 position where 67th-ranked Stropp battled to down No. 98 Simpson of LSU 6-4, 6-1.
MSU's 44th-ranked senior Cant took a breezy first set 6-0 from Turberville but the second would prove much more difficult. As the two battled back and forth, Cant was able to a take a break and serve for the match 6-0, 7-5, extending the Bulldog lead to 5-0. The sophomore White of MSU would then fight off Knights as he took the 6-4, 6-4 decision on 6 for State's final point of the afternoon.
The final match of the day was that of MSU's James Chaudry and 73rd-ranked Skupski. Dropping the first set 7-6(2), Chaudry would storm back and take the second 6-4. In a third set super-tiebreaker, however, Skupski would prove too much as he took a 7-6(2), 4-6, 1-0(4) decision for LSU's only point of the day.
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Sunday as they host the 39th-ranked Razorbacks of Arkansas for Senior Day at 1 p.m. CT at the Pitts Tennis Centre. Seniors Cant, Coupland and Ilyushin will be honored.
Live stats will be available at www.hailstate.com. Also, follow @mstateMT on Twitter for live updates.
No. 10 Mississippi
State 6, No. 27 LSU 1
3/31/12 - A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre - Starkville, Miss.
DOUBLES
1) #32 Louis Cant/Malte Stropp (MSU) def. Neal Skupski/Chris Simpson (LSU)
8-4
2) #43 George Coupland/Artem Ilyushin (MSU) def. Olivier Borsos/Tom Knights
(LSU) 8-4
3) Zach White/Ethan Wilkinson (MSU) vs. Roger Anderson/James Turberville (LSU)
8-7(3)
SINGLES
1) #15 Ilyushin (MSU) def. #55 Borsos (LSU) 6-2, 6-1
2) #73 Skupski (LSU) def. James Chaudry (MSU) 7-6(2), 4-6, 1-0(4)
3) #67 Stropp (MSU) def. #98 Simpson (LSU) 6-4, 6-1
4) #44 Cant (MSU) def. Turberville (LSU) 6-0, 7-5
5) #46 Coupland (MSU) def. Stefan Szacinski (LSU) 6-2, 6-3
6) White (MSU) def. Knights (LSU) 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish... Doubles (2,1,3)... Singles (1,5,3,4,6,2)
Players Mentioned
