No. 29 MSU Men?s Tennis Opens Spring Slate With ITA Kickoff Weekend
January 22, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Behind the leadership of the juniors Mate Cutura and Rishab Agarwal, the 29th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team opens the dual-match campaign this weekend against two ranked foes at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Tampa, Fla.
The Bulldogs will officially kick off the season against No. 30 LSU at 9 a.m. CT at the University of South Florida Varsity Tennis Courts, with No. 13 USF playing No. 31 Florida State at 1 p.m. The winners of each match will compete on Sunday at 1 p.m., for a chance to punch their ticket to the ITA Division I National Men's Team Indoor Championship in Charlottesville, Va.
“The guys are ready to start the spring season officially this weekend in Tampa,” second-year head coach Matt Roberts said. “We had a great week of practice working on what we learned last weekend in Fort Myers and we will be ready for the challenge of competing against three highly-ranked teams.”
Last weekend the Bulldogs competed in the Three Oaks Shootout as a tune up for the 2016 dual match season. MSU competed against opponents from the likes of No. 3 Texas Christian, No. 7 Illinois and this weekend's host USF.
One of the most impressive showings last weekend was from Cutura, who downed two of the three ranked opponents he faced in singles action. The Bulldog defeated Guillermo Nunez of TCU (No. 24) and Roberto Cid of USF (No. 17) in straight sets at the Three Oaks Shootout.
The freshman trio of Nuno Borges (1-2), Strahinja Rakic (2-1) and Luka Sucevic (1-2) each picked up at least one win last weekend in their debut singles matches with the Maroon and White in Fort Myers.
Last season, the Bulldogs earned their fifth-consecutive winning season en route to their fifth-straight and 24th overall NCAA Championship appearance, after finishing the season 20-8.
After the ITA Kickoff Weekend, the Bulldogs return to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre for its home opener on Saturday, Jan. 30, against UNC Wilmington at 1 p.m. The Maroon and White will cap the weekend with a Sunday doubleheader against George Washington and Alcorn State at 11 a.m., and 5 p.m.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
