MSU Men?s Tennis To Face Memphis In NCAA First Round At Illinois
May 03, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the 25th time in program history, the 22nd ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (16-8) will head to the NCAA Championships as the Bulldogs begin their journey in Champaign, Ill., for the First and Second rounds of the 2016 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship.
Play will begin on Friday, May 13, at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex with the first match pitting the 22nd-ranked and second seeded Bulldogs against No. 41 and third seeded Memphis (14-10) at 2 p.m. CT. Host Illinois, the No. 15 national seed, and Western Michigan will follow, starting no later than 5 p.m. CT. The winners of the first round contests will face off on Saturday, May 14, at 4 p.m. CT, for a berth to the NCAA Round of 16 in Tulsa, Okla., on May 19.
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 season so far and we're looking to continue it next Friday,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “We will face tough opponents, but our guys are playing well and are focused. We've built trust in one another this season and this will be a great trip for our guys to keep growing and developing.”
Additionally to becoming MSU's 25th overall NCAA Championship berth, Tuesday's selection marks the sixth-straight appearance for the Bulldogs.
State finished fourth in the tough Southeastern Conference this season, going 7-5 and advancing to the SEC Tournament semifinal. The conference had nine teams selected to the NCAA Championship on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs had their share of memorable wins this season, defeating No. 27 Tulane and No. 14 Arkansas on the road, while taking down 12th-ranked Kentucky at home and then again when the Wildcats were ranked No. 20 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The Maroon and White earned a total of 10 ranked wins this year.
Memphis comes into the tournament having lost its last two matches, but the Tigers 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 on the tennis court 29 times, 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.
The Illini are currently 19-10 on the year after an impressive season that saw Illinois advance all the way to the Big Ten Tournament final before losing to Ohio State. The Orange and Blue have three ranked players in the ITA Singles, as Aleks Vukic and Jared Hiltzik are the highest at No. 4 and No. 17 while Aron Hiltzik is No. 71 in the country. Illinois has only one ITA Doubles ranked team in Vukic and Hiltzik as the pair is the No. 71 duo in the nation.
Champaign has been kind to the Bulldogs in the past, after MSU's last trip in 2001 resulted in an upset win over the host Illini to move on to the NCAA Round of 16.
MSU is hoping history will repeat itself against the Illini, as the last time the Bulldogs visited Champaign the Maroon and White upset the host team to move on to the 2001 NCAA Round of 16.
Western Michigan (20-5) punched its ticket to the 2016 NCAA Championship after capturing the program's 11th Mid-American Conference Tournament title. The Broncos also won the MAC Regular Season Championship. If the Bulldogs should face WMU in the second round it will be the first meeting between the two teams in school history.
“We are going to a tough place to play and we're looking forward to the challenge,” Roberts said. “I'm proud of our guys for making it to this stage and we're ready to go compete.”
Selections for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be released Wednesday. Play for the individuals are set to begin May 25 in Tulsa.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2016 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship – First and Second Rounds
May 13-14, 2016 – Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex – Champaign, Ill.
Friday, May 13 - First Round
Mississippi State vs. Memphis – 2 p.m. CT
Illinois vs. Western Michigan – 5 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 14 –Second Round
Match 3 – Match 1 Winner vs. Match 2 Winner** - 4 p.m. CT
** - Winner advances to NCAA Round of 16 in Tulsa, on May 19
Schedule subject to change
