No. 28 State Netters To Close Out Home Slate Versus No. 18 Arkansas
May 25, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State's 28th-ranked men's tennis team will close out its 2002 home regular season Sunday, when the Bulldogs host 18th-ranked Arkansas in Southeastern Conference action. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
MSU suffered a tough 5-2 loss at 55th-ranked LSU Friday. The Bulldogs are led by sophomore Romain Ambert, who is ranked seventh in the country in singles, and junior Rene-Charles Combette (78th). Ambert and Combette are No. 24 nationally together in doubles.
Arkansas will enter the match 13-6 overall, 3-6 in the SEC, with its most recent outing being a 5-2 loss to fifth-ranked Mississippi Friday in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks are paced by senior Oggie Kolev, who is ranked 32nd in the nation in singles.
The teams have met 17 times in recorded history (since 1969). State holds a 13-4 advantage over the Razorbacks during that period, 6-1 in Starkville. MSU is also 10-0 against Arkansas since UA joined the SEC in 1992, including a close 4-3 victory in Starkville last season.
"We have another big opportunity tomorrow," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Arkansas is a good team and will be tough. Hopefully, we can end our home season on a solid note with a win. We hope our fans will come out and support us in this important match."
Following Sunday's action, the Bulldogs will finish off its entire 2002 regular season next Saturday, travelling to Oxford to take on the fifth-ranked Rebels.
