Mississippi State
Alabama
No. 24 MSU Rallies To Defeat No. 32 Alabama 5-2
April 10, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After falling behind 2-0 on Sunday, the 24th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (15-6, 7-4) turned the tide against No. 32 Alabama (14-11, 5-6) as the Bulldogs took five singles matches to win 5-2.
The win for MSU extended the Bulldogs seven-match win streak against the Tide, while improving State's record at A.J. Pitts to 11-1 this season. The Bulldogs have now won three out of their last four SEC matches as we head to the final conference match of the season on Friday.
“We respect Alabama a lot and know that they're a good team,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “Today was a great win for us. We had some chances in doubles but we were a little hesitant to close it out. The guys pushed each other coming out in singles and we did well. The longer the match goes the tougher our guys get, because they're in great shape and they trust themselves in three-set situations.”
The day began with the Serbian duo of Strahinja Rakic and Luka Sucevic earning their first SEC and dual-match win of the season as the pair downed Bama's Spencer Richey and Matthew Rossouw, 6-2. The Tide followed up the defeat by beating MSU's freshman tandem of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey by a score of 6-2.
With the doubles even, the deciding match would come down to court 1 as the No. 39 ranked pair of Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter faced No. 6 Korey Lovett and Mazen Osama. Cutura and Hunter would hold a 5-3 lead against the sixth-ranked pair, but could not put away the Tide duo as Lovett and Osama came back to win 7-5 to give the doubles point to Bama.
In singles action the two teams would be neck and neck to start out play, with the Bulldogs and Tide each taking three of the first six sets. Bama's Rossouw was first to the clubhouse on Sunday, as he downed MSU's Rakic, 6-2, 6-4, to put the Tide ahead 2-0.
Trailing by two points against Bama, momentum shifted in MSU's favor as the Bulldogs took the next three singles matches to go ahead 3-2. No. 73 Agarwal and Braun each picked up two-set wins, after winning 6-3, 6-4 and 7-5, 6-2 respectively. Nuno Borges put the Bulldogs over the top after knocking off No. 101 Lovett in three sets, 6(3)-7, 6-2, 6-1. The ranked win was the third of the season for the freshman.
Up 3-2, freshman Sucevic closed the door on any hopes of the Tide retaking the lead as he went the distance with Danny Kerznerman to win, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and clinch the match for the Maroon and White.
With the contest in hand, a ranked matchup between No. 41 Cutura and No. 54 Osama would close out action on Sunday. Each set would go to a tiebreaker between the two as Cutura outlasted the freshman Osama to win 6(4)-7, 7-6(5), 1-0(8). The victory was Cutura's sixth ranked win of the season in singles play.
Agarwal and Borges picked up their 15th dual match singles wins on Sunday, which now leads the team. The victory for Agarwal was the junior's 20th overall of the season, which is second only behind freshman Braun who has racked up 25 overall singles wins this season.
After Sunday's five singles wins, the Bulldogs have now won four or more singles matches nine times this season.
The Maroon and White will cap off its 2016 regular season this Friday, as the Bulldogs host Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. to kick off Super Bulldog Weekend.
“The team that we have loves Mississippi State, loves the small-town atmosphere and loves to play for the crowd,” Roberts said, “This Friday is our last chance to reach out and hook a lot of fans before the season ends and we want to put on a show for the fans. We are really excited for this Friday's match.”
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 24 Mississippi State 5, No. 32 Alabama 2
April 10, 2016 - A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss
Doubles
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
1. No. 6 Korey Lovett/Mazen Osama (UA) def. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 7-5
2. Grayson Goldin/Becker O'Shaughnessey (UA) def. Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-2
3. Strahinja Rakic/Luka Sucevic (MSU) def. Spencer Richey/Matthew Rossouw (UA) 6-2
Singles
Order of finish: 5, 3, 4, 2, 6, 1
1. No 41 Mate Cutura (MSU) def. No. 54 Mazen Osama (UA) 6(4)-7, 7-6(5), 1-0(8)
2. Nuno Borges (MSU) def. No. 101 Korey Lovett (UA) 6(3)-7, 6-2, 6-1
3. No. 73 Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. Becker O'Shaughnessey (UA) 6-3, 6-4
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Spencer Richey (UA) 7-5, 6-2
5. Matthew Rossouw (UA) def. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Luka Sucevic (MSU) def. Danny Kerznerman (UA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
