Men?s Tennis Opens 2016 At No. 27 Nationally
January 05, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the fifth-consecutive season, the Mississippi State men's tennis team will open the dual match campaign ranked in the top 30 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Rankings. MSU is ranked 27th in the new ITA rankings, released Tuesday.
“This ranking shows that coaches around the country know who we have coming in and respect our team,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “We are young and talented but at the same time we have a lot of experience on the court. I am excited to get the season started and continue to work hard and develop as a unit.”
Last season, State finished the year ranked No. 23 by the ITA after returning to the NCAA Championship for the fifth-straight season. In head coach Matt Robert's first season at the helm the Bulldogs finished with their fifth-consecutive winning season after going 20-8.
This season the Bulldogs welcome six freshmen to the squad, with junior newcomer Vaughn Hunter in the mix. The trio of Niclas Braun, Trevor Foshey and Lucas Sanchez, along with Hunter, had the opportunity to play in four individual tournaments over the fall. Portugal native Nuno Borges leads the pack among the incoming transfers for the spring, as they join the club next week with the beginning of school.
Juniors Rishab Agarwal and Mate Cutura will lead the Bulldogs in 2016, after each earned second-team All-SEC honors last year. Agarwal turned in two quarterfinal and one semifinal finish in futures action over the fall, while Cutura sat out the fall campaign rehabbing an injury but was ranked No. 80 by the ITA in the preseason before the injury.
The Maroon and White kick off 2016 on the road as it travels to Fort Myers, Fla., for the Three Oaks Shootout. The Bulldogs open the dual-match season at the 2016 ITA Kickoff Weekend in Tampa, Fla., facing LSU on Jan. 23. Start time for the season opener is still to be determined.
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