No. 21 MSU Men?s Tennis Set For First Round Bout Against No. 42 Memphis
May 12, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After earning its 25th postseason appearance in program history, the 21st ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (16-8) begins its journey to the NCAA Championship finals in Champaign, Ill., as the Bulldogs face off against No. 42 Memphis (14-10) in the opening round on Friday.
First serve between the Bulldogs and Tigers on Friday is set for 2 p.m. CT. Host Illinois, the No. 15 national seed, and Western Michigan will begin no later than 5 p.m. CT. The winners of the first round contests will face off on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT, for a berth to the NCAA Round of 16 in Tulsa, Okla., on May 19.
Live stats and video from this weekend's matches will be provided by FightingIllini.com.
Tickets for the First and Second Rounds can be purchased at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex starting one hour prior to the first match each day. One ticket is valid for one admission to all matches on the day the ticket is purchased.
“We've had a great week of practice in Illinois and we are excited to play tomorrow,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “Our guys are relaxed and focused on playing Memphis. They have a tough team, but we are ready for the challenge. We've had a great season and we want to keep the fun and excitement going.”
The Bulldogs are making their sixth-straight appearance in the NCAA Championship after another successful season under second-year head coach Roberts. State will be looking to return to the round of 16 for the second time in four years, with the last time being in 2013. That year MSU defeated Austin Peay and Harvard in Starkville to punch its ticket to the finals for the first time since 2001.
Champaign is a special place for the Bulldogs, as the last two Round of 16 appearances have had connections to the city. In 2001 MSU defeated Illinois on the road to advance to the Round of 16, while in 2013 the Bulldogs played in Champaign after advancing past the second round.
Leading the way for the Bulldogs is the All-SEC trio of Mate Cutura, Rishab Agarwal and Nuno Borges. The three will be spearheading the singles lineup this weekend, as all three are ranked in the latest ITA Singles ranking,
At the top of the order is 34th-ranked junior Cutura, who has been a staple for the Bulldogs in the No. 1 position. The junior has defeated six ranked foes in singles play this season. Cutura earned a spot on the All-SEC First Team after his effort on the court this year.
Fellow junior and 54th rankled Agarwal will follow behind Cutura at the No. 2 position after a year that saw the Hyderabad, India native, earn a 16-7 mark in dual-match play. The junior was honored as an All-SEC Second Team member and the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year a week ago.
At the No. 3 spot is All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team member Borges. Ranked 70th in singles nationally, Borges has led the Bulldogs in dual-match singles wins despite joining the team in January. The Portugal native earned an 18-3 mark in dual-match play, while also leading the team in SEC singles wins at 9-3.
The Bulldogs will round out the lineup with a trio of freshmen, as Niclas Braun, Strahinja Rakic and Trevor Foshey will get the nod. Braun has been on fire in singles play, earning a team best 25 wins overall, while Rakic and Foshey picked up 16 and seven overall respectively.
In doubles play the Bulldogs will have two familiar teams at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. The 47th ranked Cutura and Vaughn Hunter will be at the top of the order, while freshmen Borges and Braun will be the second team up. Rounding out the pack will be another freshmen pair in Foshey and Luka Sucevic.
The 42nd ranked Tigers of Memphis come into Champaign having lost their last two matches, but they were on a five-match winning streak before the losing skid. Memphis has two ranked ITA Singles players in Ryan Peniston and Andrew Watson at 92nd and 98th respectively. Watson is also ranked in ITA Doubles along side partner Chris Patzanovsky.
The Bulldogs and Tigers have faced off 29 times in tennis, with MSU holding a slight 16-13 advantage. State has won the last eight meetings in the series with the last coming in 2014. The two squads have only met once on a neutral site in 1981, as MSU won the match 5-4.
State is 16-4 in opening round action and have won its last five first round matches in the NCAA Championship.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
