#22 MSU Netmen To Host #18 Alabama Friday, #13 Auburn Sunday
May 25, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State's men's tennis team, ranked 22nd nationally in the latest Omni Hotels Collegiate Rankings released Wednesday, will return to action Friday, hosting 18th-ranked Alabama. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
The Bulldogs, 6-4 overall, will be playing for the first time since March 4 after having the week off this past weekend. State will be looking to rebound from two tough 4-3 road losses in their first two Southeastern Conference matches at South Carolina and Florida two weeks ago. MSU is led by sophomore Romain Ambert, who is now ranked No. 6 in the country in singles, equaling his career-best rating. Ambert and junior Rene-Charles Combette have also moved up to No. 12 in the country in the doubles rankings.
Alabama is 9-4 overall, 2-2 in the SEC. The Tide has dropped its last two league affairs after opening the conference slate at 2-0. UA is paced by junior Maxim Belski and sophomore Chris Gostek who are ranked 64th and 78th, respectively, in the national singles ratings.
State holds a 21-18 advantage over Alabama in the series (since 1969) and has won the last seven matches contested between the teams in Starkville. Alabama won the most recent meeting, a 4-3 victory in Tuscaloosa last year.
"We have another big opportunity tomorrow," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Alabama will obviously be tough. They have virtually the same team as last year when they beat us there.
"As I keep saying, every time out in the SEC is going to be difficult. All 12 of our teams are ranked in the top 30 right now, so every match is a challenge as well as an opportunity. We hope that our fans will come out and support us at each home match, because all of them will be very important."
Following Friday's contest, State remains at home Sunday for another key conference battle, welcoming the 13th-ranked Auburn Tigers. That match is also slated for 1 p.m. at the Pitts Tennis Centre.
