No. 25 MSU Hosts Saturday Doubleheader To Kickoff Homestand
February 26, 2016 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Returning home after almost a month away, the 25th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team (7-1) hosts Louisiana-Lafayette (6-5) and No. 73 Southern Miss (7-0) for its final twinbill of the season on Saturday, Match times will be 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT, respectively, at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
Saturday's doubleheader marks the beginning of a four-match homestand for the Bulldogs, as they will also host Tennessee and Georgia next weekend to open Southeastern Conference play.
The Bulldogs are coming off two successful shutouts last weekend, after MSU blanked both UAB and Samford by a score of 7-0 in Birmingham, Ala.
Senior Georgiana Patrasc and freshman Anastasia Rentouli look to keep their dual match singles records spotless on Saturday, with each sporting undefeated records (8-0 and 6-0, respectively). Patrasc earned spot in this week's ITA singles rankings, coming in 103rd overall, while Rentouli remained in the top 50 at No. 43.
The Bulldogs highest ranked player, No. 11 Jasmine Lee, is on a four-match win streak of her own since her only loss of the spring at Duke on Jan. 23. The junior has tallied a 5-1 dual-match record on the season.
Rounding out singles for State are Madison Harrison (6-1), Kristina Vozniak (5-1), Jennifer Brown (5-1) and Louise Ronaldson (2-0).
On the doubles side, two MSU pairs remained in the ITA doubles rankings with the tandem of No. 51 Harrison and Patrasc as well as the duo of Brown and Vozniak coming in a at 53rd overall. The Bulldog pair of Lee and Ronaldson look to remain undefeated with their 4-0 record so far this season.
Louisiana-Lafayette is coming off a 4-1 victory against Alcorn State last Sunday to earn its sixth win of the season. The Ragin' Cajuns are led by senior Melissa Burckhartt, who is 6-3 on the 2016 season in singles. In doubles play, ULL is led by Burckhartt and Kelly Drew (6-3) and Juliette Clement and Elena Sava (5-2).
The Golden Eagles are coming to Starkville after a 4-1 win against ULL last Saturday to remain undefeated this spring. Sophomore Elena Roca, who impressed as a freshman with a 15-3 record in 2015, leads No. 73 USM this season as well. Junior Alex Kitchen compiled a 14-6 record to aid the Golden Eagles as a sophomore in 2015.
The ranked contest between No. 73 USM and No. 25 MSU will mark the fifth ranked opponent the Bulldogs have faced so far in 2016. State has earned a 3-1 record in ranked matches this season, with its only loss coming at No.9 Duke.
Live stats will be available for both matches on Saturday via www.hailstate.com.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
