Friday, February 24
Starkville
3:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Tulane
Ranked showdown highlights MSU's home opener on Friday.
No. 20 MSU Opens Home Slate On Friday Against No. 22 Tulane
February 23, 2017 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After playing eight matches on the road, the 20th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis (5-3) finally opens the home slate this Friday as the Bulldogs host No. 22 Tulane (7-1) at 3 p.m. CT.
The ranked showdown between the Bulldogs and the Green Wave will be a rematch of last season's thriller that saw MSU leave New Orleans with a comeback, 4-3, win.
"We're excited to finally play in front of our great fans this Friday at A.J. Pitts," head coach Matt Roberts said. "We've spent a long time away from home, but this match will be well worth it for the fans. Tulane has a great tennis program and this matchup will be a battle. With the excitement of being home for the first time this season and playing against a tough opponent, this one will be really fun to watch."
The Bulldogs enter their home opener after a weekend at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, where MSU upset then No. 7 Northwestern, 4-3, to leave Charlottesville, Va., with its highest ranked win since 2015. The contest also capped a three-match stretch against top-10 foes.
In their time away from home the Bulldogs moved up the rankings to sit at No. 20 this week as they host No. 22 Tulane. Crucial to MSU's rise is sophomore Nuno Borges who is among one of the best singles players in the nation at No. 4 in the country. The Maia, Portugal native leads the team with 17 singles wins, while sporting a perfect 6-0 record in dual-match play and continuing his career undefeated mark at the No.1 position.
Also integral to the Bulldogs is the ranked tandem of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey. The sophomore duo achieved their highest ranking of their young careers this past week, after coming in at No. 26. The pair has won four ranked matches this year, with two coming at last weekend's ITA Indoors. Braun and Foshey have earned a 12-4 mark, while going 5-1 in dual-match play.
Friday's opponent, Tulane, comes into Starkville with a 7-1 record while winning their last four matches. The Green Wave has defeated Pepperdine, Auburn, North Florida and LSU for their notable wins this season, while only losing to Cal in Berkeley back on Jan. 28.
Who to Watch For Tulane
Tulane has two ranked singles players and one ranked duo in this past week's ITA National Rankings. No. 37 Constantin Schmitz headlines the Green Wave lineup as the junior leads the team with a 14-3 record in singles overall. Sebastian Rey is also ranked in singles, at No. 110, while also making up the No. 59th doubles team with partner Chi-Shan Jao.
Up Next
After hosting No. 22 Tulane, the Bulldogs will take on No. 38 North Carolina State (7-4) to cap the weekend on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
Friday's Promotions
Admission to Friday's match, as with all matches at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, is free for fans.
Live Video/Stats
Live video and statistics are available for all MSU home tennis matches at www.hailstate.com/livemt.
Additional Notes
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The ranked showdown between the Bulldogs and the Green Wave will be a rematch of last season's thriller that saw MSU leave New Orleans with a comeback, 4-3, win.
"We're excited to finally play in front of our great fans this Friday at A.J. Pitts," head coach Matt Roberts said. "We've spent a long time away from home, but this match will be well worth it for the fans. Tulane has a great tennis program and this matchup will be a battle. With the excitement of being home for the first time this season and playing against a tough opponent, this one will be really fun to watch."
The Bulldogs enter their home opener after a weekend at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, where MSU upset then No. 7 Northwestern, 4-3, to leave Charlottesville, Va., with its highest ranked win since 2015. The contest also capped a three-match stretch against top-10 foes.
In their time away from home the Bulldogs moved up the rankings to sit at No. 20 this week as they host No. 22 Tulane. Crucial to MSU's rise is sophomore Nuno Borges who is among one of the best singles players in the nation at No. 4 in the country. The Maia, Portugal native leads the team with 17 singles wins, while sporting a perfect 6-0 record in dual-match play and continuing his career undefeated mark at the No.1 position.
Also integral to the Bulldogs is the ranked tandem of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey. The sophomore duo achieved their highest ranking of their young careers this past week, after coming in at No. 26. The pair has won four ranked matches this year, with two coming at last weekend's ITA Indoors. Braun and Foshey have earned a 12-4 mark, while going 5-1 in dual-match play.
Friday's opponent, Tulane, comes into Starkville with a 7-1 record while winning their last four matches. The Green Wave has defeated Pepperdine, Auburn, North Florida and LSU for their notable wins this season, while only losing to Cal in Berkeley back on Jan. 28.
Who to Watch For Tulane
Tulane has two ranked singles players and one ranked duo in this past week's ITA National Rankings. No. 37 Constantin Schmitz headlines the Green Wave lineup as the junior leads the team with a 14-3 record in singles overall. Sebastian Rey is also ranked in singles, at No. 110, while also making up the No. 59th doubles team with partner Chi-Shan Jao.
Up Next
After hosting No. 22 Tulane, the Bulldogs will take on No. 38 North Carolina State (7-4) to cap the weekend on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
Friday's Promotions
- Free poster and program
- T-shirt toss between doubles and singles (if doubles point is won)
- Tennis ball toss for a free TV
Admission to Friday's match, as with all matches at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, is free for fans.
Live Video/Stats
Live video and statistics are available for all MSU home tennis matches at www.hailstate.com/livemt.
Additional Notes
- The Bulldogs are 11-6 all-time against the Green Wave
- MSU has won the last three matches against Tulane
- The last meeting between the programs in Starkville was a 7-0 win for MSU in 2011
- MSU has won its last 10 non-conference matches at A.J. Pitts
- Under Matt Roberts, the Bulldogs are 14-1 in non-conference matches at home
- No. 4 Nuno Borges leads the team with 17 singles wins overall
- Borges leads the team in dual-match singles with a perfect 5-0 record
- Freshman Giovanni Oradini is 4-1 in dual-match singles, which ranks second on the team
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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