No. 13 Netmen To Meet No. 26 Florida Sunday
May 25, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Looking to rebound from a tough 4-3 upset loss in their Southeastern Conference opener at #30 South Carolina Friday, Mississippi State's 13th-ranked men's tennis team will conclude their brief two-match road swing Sunday, battling 26th-ranked Florida in Gainesville. The Bulldogs, 6-3 overall (0-1 SEC), are slated to face the Gators (6-1, 1-0) Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at UF's Scott Linder Tennis Stadium.
Florida, which upset No. 6 Mississippi 4-3 on Friday in its league opener, holds a 20-14 edge in the series with MSU (records since 1969), 10-3 in Gainesville. MSU claimed a 5-2 win in the most recent meeting between the squads, which was contested in Starkville last season.
The match will also be a reunion of sorts for both sides, as the Bulldogs will be going up against their old mentor, Andy Jackson, who departed MSU after 17 years to take the Florida head coaching post last summer.
"There is only one thing I can say about this match...it is going to be a war," said MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard, who was Jackson's assistant for the past six years and succeeded him at MSU. "Andy and I know each others' tricks pretty well after working together for so long. And I know both teams will be motivated to play. I anticipate a battle royale.
"They have a very good team this year and proved that with their win over Mississippi yesterday. As I said going into the South Carolina match, no match in the SEC is ever easy and tomorrow will be no different."
Following Sunday's match, State will have nearly two weeks off before its next competition. The Bulldogs will return home to continue SEC action, hosting 18th-ranked Auburn on Friday, March 15, before welcoming 22nd-ranked Alabama on Sunday, March 17, both at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
