No. 25 MSU Men?s Tennis Looks To Keep Momentum Rolling On The Road
March 17, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Looking to carry over their recent success in conference play, the 25th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (11-3, 3-1) travels to No. 9 Texas A&M (15-4, 3-1) on Friday and No. 48 LSU (8-6, 1-3) on Sunday.
“We're excited for a couple of big tests this weekend against two good teams,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “We are playing very good right now and we want to continue the momentum, so this will be a great chance to develop as a team and get better on the court.”
The Bulldogs have won 11 out of their last 12 matches, and are currently on a three-match win streak in conference play.
Last time out, MSU knocked off No. 12 Kentucky, 5-0, and downed No. 72 Tennessee, 6-1, to cap an undefeated weekend at home. Highlighting the weekend's matches was the play of freshman Niclas Braun. The two-time SEC Freshman of the Week clinched both of State's matches over the weekend, improving his SEC singles record to 4-0. The freshman also has a team-best 10 match singles win streak to go along with his 21 total wins in singles play.
Freshmen have been key to the success of MSU this season, with the underclassmen earning 37 of the Bulldogs' 48 dual-match singles wins this season. Along with Braun, fellow freshman Nuno Borges has earned 10 singles wins in dual-match play this season with Strahinja Rakic following close behind with nine wins.
In doubles play, the Bulldogs have been paced all season long by the freshmen tandem of Borges and Braun, but the duo of Mate Cutura and Foshey have come on strong in conference play. The pair claimed the doubles point against UK last Saturday on their way to a 3-1 record in the SEC. Cutura will team with freshman Luka Sucevic, while Foshey will pair with junior Rishab Agarwal this weekend.
Friday's match, set for 12 p.m. CT, will pit the Bulldogs and Aggies in a crucial SEC clash with both teams coming into the contest with a 3-1 conference record. Texas A&M is 10-0 at home this season with its last loss coming against Arkansas last Friday in Fayetteville. MSU lost to TAMU last season in Starkville, 4-1.
The Bulldogs will cap the weekend with a trip to Baton Rouge to face off against the Tigers at 1 p.m. CT, on Sunday. The two teams faced one another at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Tampa, Fla., with LSU winning 4-1. The Tigers are 7-1 at home, but are currently on a two-match losing streak.
After the weekend road swing, MSU returns to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Friday, March 25, at 5 p.m. CT when it hosts Florida to continue conference play.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
