Friday’s Opener Cancelled; No. 20 MSU Travels To San Diego State

Friday, January 20

Malibu, Calif.

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

Pepperdine

Season opener a wash out as Bulldogs move on to San Diego State.

Friday’s Opener Cancelled; No. 20 MSU Travels To San Diego State

January 20, 2017 | Men's Tennis

MALIBU, Calif. – A wet and soggy day in Malibu, Calif., delayed the start of the 2017 season for the Mississippi State men's tennis team as inclement weather forced the cancelation of the Bulldogs' match with Pepperdine on Friday.

With the cancelation official, MSU now travels south to face San Diego State. The match between the Bulldogs and Aztecs was originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m., but the threat of inclement weather forced the match to Saturday at 5 p.m. CT. For more updates on time changes, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter.

The Bulldogs enter the 2017 season ranked No. 20 in the nation after last week's ITA National Team Rankings. The Maroon and White returns two seniors and four sophomores from last season's 18-9 squad that produced the program's 12th Round of 16 postseason berth.

Sophomore Nuno Borges will headline the talented returning group after a successful first year with the Bulldogs in 2016. Borges earned All-SEC Freshman Team and SEC All-Tournament Team honors last season, while finishing the spring ranked No. 70 in singles.

Over the fall, the sophomore posted one of the best fall campaigns in school history after claiming the ITA Southern Regional singles crown before advancing all the way to the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championship. Borges' fall accolades, along with his 12-3 mark in singles play, propelled the sophomore to a tie for sixth overall in the nation in the first ITA National Singles Ranking of 2017 that was released on Jan. 4.

Joining Borges are fellow returning sophomores Niclas Braun, Trevor Foshey and Strahinja Rakic. All three Bulldogs competed over the fall in singles and doubles play, with Braun and Foshey forming a formidable duo to post a 7-3 mark. The sophomore tandem earned their first ITA ranking of their short careers, as Braun and Foshey currently rank as the 59th team in the nation.

Seniors Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter will provide experience to the youthful Bulldogs as the duo looks to repeat their mainstay in the doubles rankings from a season ago. The tandem finished the 2016 spring season ranked 47th in the nation, while Cutura capped off the spring ranked 43rd in singles action.

Newcomers Simon Baudry and Giovanni Oradini will strengthen the talented returners after the two joined the team in January. Baudry comes to MSU by the way of France while lefty Oradini hails from Italy.

Saturday's opponent, San Diego State (1-1), features an experienced lineup of two seniors, one junior, two sophomores and five freshmen. The Aztecs opened the season with a 5-2 win at Hawai'i before losing to UC Santa Barbara, 7-0. Last season, SDSU finished 11-14 and 5-2 in the Mountain West Conference.

Up Next
After traveling to San Diego State, the Bulldogs will venture to Lubbock, Texas next weekend for the 2017 ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Maroon and White will face Florida State on Saturday, Jan. 28 at 12 p.m. CT, before taking on the winner of Iowa and host Texas Tech on Sunday also at 12 p.m. CT.

Additional Notes

MSU has never faced San Diego State in its series history
The Bulldogs are 1-1 in season-openers under head coach Matt Roberts
MSU is one of six SEC schools ranked in this week's ITA National Team Ranking
State has advanced to the NCAA Team Championship the last six seasons
Nuno Borges national ranking of sixth in the nation is the highest of any Bulldog in singles action since Romain Bogaerts in 2013

Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.