MSU's Lee, Patrasc Open Play In 2016 NCAA Singles Championship Wednesday
May 24, 2016 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Looking to continue one of the best seasons in program history, Mississippi State women's tennis junior Jasmine Lee and senior Georgiana Patrasc will represent MSU in Tulsa, Okla., this week in the 64-player 2016 NCAA Singles Championship at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the University of Tulsa campus.
Ranked 13th and 36th, respectively, in the latest ITA National Singles Rankings, Lee and Patrasc begin competition on Wednesday. Patrasc is set to take on Florida State's 38th-ranked Daneika Borthwick in her opening round match at 9 a.m. CT while Lee will start the tournament against Long Beach State's No. 102 Maeva Razakasoa at 3:30 p.m.
Lee became State's first ITA All-American in singles as a 9-16 seed in this year's tournament. Named All-SEC First Team for the second season in a row, the Kaohsiung, Taiwan, native is 29-11 overall this season in singles and was 17-7 in dual match play at the top position for the Bulldogs, who reached the second round of the NCAAs as a team. Lee was also named the ITA's Southern Region Player to Watch after posting 20 wins against ranked opponents, seven in the top 25. During her career at State, she has qualified in singles for every major individual championship held, five in all. Lee also achieved a school-record national singles ranking of No. 9 twice this spring.
In her final (and most successful) season as a Bulldog in 2015-16, Patrasc garnered her third conference award by being named All-SEC Second Team after posting a remarkable 18-4 dual match record mainly at the No. 2 position. She was a team-leading 9-2 in SEC matches. Sporting a 27-8 overall record headed into this week's action, Patrasc was honored as the ITA Southern Region Most Improved Senior after also earning her highest career rankings in April at 32nd in singles and 29th in doubles. The Bacua, Romania, product, who will see her stellar four-year MSU career draw to a close this week in Tulsa, stands in the top 10 of every MSU women's tennis career statistical category ever and in five of State's six single-season top 10s with her records this year.
The two MSU players are each making their second appearance in the NCAA Singles Championship.
MSU will also be represented in the 32-team NCAA Doubles Championship starting Thursday. State's 30th-ranked duo of Madison Harrison and Kristina Vozniak will face Northwestern's 28th-ranked pair of Alex Chatt and Maddie Lipp in the first round at a time to be announced. The MSU tandem posted a 6-6 record together this season with three of the wins coming opponents currently ranked in the top 40 nationally.
Harrison and Vozniak, both MSU sophomores, will be making their first-ever appearances in the NCAA Individual Championships and are the first State doubles duo in the field since 2005.
With Lee, Patrasc, Harrison and Vozniak in this year's tournament, it sets an MSU women's tennis record for the most players (4) in the NCAA Individuals in a single year.
"Jasmine and Georgiana as well as Madison and Kristina have all had very impressive seasons," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "They have been working hard in preparation for this event and are ready for some tough opponents tomorrow and Thursday."
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
