No. 21 State Women?s Tennis Earns NCAA Bid; Faces Va. Tech In First Round
May 03, 2016 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After what has been one of the most successful seasons in program history, the 21st-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team learned Tuesday afternoon that it has earned a bid to the 2016 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship. The Bulldogs are headed to Lubbock, Texas, and will face 34th-ranked Virginia Tech in the first round on Friday, May 13, at TTU's McLeod Tennis Centre.
On May 13, the first match will showcase MSU (17-8) against 34th-ranked Virginia Tech (14-9) at 2 p.m. CT. Following the Bulldogs and Hokies, the No. 19-ranked (and No. 16 national seed) host Texas Tech (23-5) will battle Boston University (12-8) at 5 p.m. CT in the other first round contest in Lubbock. The winners of the two Friday matches will then face each other in the second round matchup on Saturday, May 14, at 4 p.m. CT for the right to move on to the NCAA Round of 16 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 19.
“We are excited about the opportunity to play post season,” head coach Daryl Greenan said. “We finished strong in the regular season and will carry momentum and confidence into the tournament. The girls have been doing a great job managing practice and exams and are excited to battle and compete again.”
Tuesday's selection marks MSU women's tennis' sixth appearance in the NCAA Championship and, paired with 2015's bid, marks the first back-to-back appearances since State made three-straight NCAA tourney trips from 1999-2001. Prior to this year's bid, State made the NCAAs in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2015, advancing to the second round in four of those five appearances.
MSU has posted 17 wins this season to date, the second most in program history. State has earned two wins against top 25 opponents and went 6-0 against top 50 opponents. Of MSU's eight setbacks this season, all of them were to teams in the current top 20, six in the top 10. The Bulldogs' seven SEC wins this year are the most in program history and State also advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Championship for the second year in a row. MSU kicked off the 2016 slate by winning 10 of its first 11 matches, including seven shutout victories, and ended the regular season with a school-record four consecutive SEC triumphs. Every player in State's lineup had a winning singles dual match record this spring and the Bulldogs have four singles players and two doubles teams ranked heading into NCAA competition.
State's first-round foe, Virginia Tech, made it to the second round of the ACC Tennis Championship and is making its seventh NCAA showing all-time, the second in a row. Senior Francesca Fusinato, a second-team, All-ACC selection, is VT's highest-ranked singles performer at No. 59 with 11 dual match singles wins. Sophomore Elena Cerezo-Codina was a third-team, All-ACC choice. Sophomore Caroline Daxhelet leads the Hokies with 17 dual match singles wins.
Texas Tech, hosting the NCAA 1st/2nd Rounds for the third time, is making its fifth-straight (and overall) appearance in the NCAA Team Championship. TTU, which advanced to the Big 12 Tournament championship match last month, has won six of its last eight contests, both losses coming to No. 15 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. The Red Raiders' first-round foe, Boston University, won the Patriot League for the third-straight year to earn its way into the 2016 NCAA field for the school's 15th overall NCAA bid.
Selections for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be released Wednesday. MSU's 14th-ranked junior standout Jasmine Lee and 35th-ranked senior Georgiana Patrasc will each likely earn their second career NCAA singles bid. MSU also has a pair of doubles teams that are on the bubble to possibly make that field.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
2016 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship – First & Second Rounds
May 13-14, 2016 - - Lubbock, Texas
5/13/16 – First Round
Match 1 – 2 p.m. CT – No. 21 Mississippi State vs. No. 34 Virginia Tech
Match 2 – 5 p.m. CT – No. 19 Texas Tech vs. Boston University
5/14/16 – Second Round
Match 3 – 4 p.m. CT - Match 1 Winner vs. Match 2 Winner **
**- winner advances to NCAA Round of 16 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 19
Schedule subject to change
