USF Next Up For No. 16 MSU

Sunday, February 12

Tampa, Fla.

12:00 PM

Mississippi State

South Florida

Bulldogs head into Sunday looking to continue hot streak on the court.

February 11, 2017 | Men's Tennis

Live Stats

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Riding high from a confidence-boosting win on Friday, the 16th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (4-0) looks to capitalize on momentum heading into Sunday's 12 p.m. CT matchup against South Florida (1-3).

The Bulldogs blanked Miami (2-2) on the road Friday, 4-0, as MSU earned its first win against the Hurricanes since 1999. Sunday's match in Tampa, Fla., will be USF's home opener.

"We're playing a tough opponent in South Florida tomorrow, but our guys are looking forward to the challenge," head coach Matt Roberts said. "We performed well against Miami last match, so we're looking to keep that going into Sunday."

MSU began Friday's match by winning the doubles point, after receiving wins from the teams of Mate Cutura and Giovanni Oradini as well as No. 44 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey. In singles play, the Bulldogs were strong again as all three wins came in straight-sets. Simon Baudry, No. 3 Nuno Borges and Oradini all picked up the victories to seal the 4-0 win over the Hurricanes.

The win for third-ranked Borges was his 16th win of the season as he pushed his overall record to 16-3 and 4-0 in dual-matches. The sophomore has yet to drop a singles match at the No. 1 position as he is 6-0 for his career at the top of the order.

Also playing well last time out was freshman Oradini. The Italian lefty stepped in and had an outstanding performance for State as he earned a victory in his first collegiate doubles appearance as a Bulldog, before clinching the match for MSU in singles after a straight-set win.

On the opposing side for Sunday, the Bulls have faced a tough schedule to begin the season as USF has dropped matches to No. 3 Ohio State, No. 18 Michigan and LSU. All three matches were on the road as the Bulls will play their first home match this Sunday against MSU.

Who To Watch For The Bulls
The Bulls have a pair of players in the ITA National Singles Rankings, with No. 71 Peter Bertran and No. 81 Alberto Barroso-Campos. Junior Bertran is 1-3, while freshman Barroso-Campos is 3-1.

Live Stats
Live stats will be available for Sunday's match, with statistics provided by GoUSFBulls.com. Those wishing to follow along with the match can go here.

Live Streaming
Sunday's contest will not be live streamed.

Up Next
After capping the road trip against USF, the Bulldogs will prepare for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships next weekend in Charlottesville, Va.

Additional Notes

The Bulldogs lead the head-to-head series against the Bulls 3-1
MSU and USF have not met in dual-match play since State's 4-3 win in 2010
The 4-0 start for MSU is its first under head coach Matt Roberts
State has only lost one doubles point this season, while winning three
In singles action, the Bulldogs are a combined 14-5 in dual-matches
Three Bulldogs are undefeated in dual-match singles play, Nuno Borges (4-0), Strahinja Rakic (3-0) and Giovanni Oradini (2-0)
The Bulldogs have used four doubles teams in dual-match play, with all four earning wins and Borges/Rakic leading the way with three dual-match victories