Borges leads the way for Bulldogs in latest rankings.
Bulldogs Hold Steady At No. 16; Nuno Borges Climbs To No. 3
February 08, 2017 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Sophomore Nuno Borges carried the banner for the Mississippi State men's tennis team (3-0) on Wednesday as the Bulldogs held on to the No. 16 spot in the ITA National Team Rankings while Borges earned MSU's highest singles ranking since 2002.
Borges wasn't the only Bulldog to move up in the rankings on Wednesday, as the duo of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey vaulted from 59th to 44th in the nation to etch a new career high.
"We're very excited for Nuno and he's played exceptionally this year," head coach Matt Roberts said. "Nic and Trevor have also been solid for us in doubles and it's great to see three players so young get this much recognition. Our entire team has trained hard and improved tremendously and that's reflected in our team ranking."
The No. 16 ranking comes on the heels of a bye week for the Bulldogs as the Maroon and White prepares to face Miami (Fla.) and South Florida for a pair of road matches this weekend. The back-to-back weeks at No. 16 are the highest two-week rankings for the Bulldogs since 2014's 11th and 16th.
In singles, only Petros Chrysochos of Wake Forest and Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State rank higher than MSU's Borges. The Maia, Porto, Portugal native also ranks three spots higher than any other player in the SEC as the next closest is Mike Redlicki of Arkansas.
"Since the fall Nuno has played outstanding," Roberts said. "He has matured mentally and has become an elite player for us over the short time he's been at MSU. We're excited to see him progress further and happy in the direction he's going."
Borges has compiled a 15-3 mark this season, while earning an undefeated record of 3-0 in dual match play for the Bulldogs. The ranking of No. 3 in the nation is the highest mark for any Bulldog in singles play since Romain Ambert accomplished the feat on Sept. 9, 2002.
The sophomore duo of Braun and Foshey earned another career high in the latest ITA rankings as the tandem moved from 59th in Jan. 4 poll to their new standing of 44th in the nation. The pair has earned an 8-4 record overall while splitting dual matches at 1-1 this season.
USTA Releases Inaugural College Tennis Top 25 Team Rankings
Wednesday was a busy day for the Bulldogs as the new weekly poll from the USTA was released as well, with MSU coming in at No. 16. The USTA announced the inaugural rankings earlier last month as its latest initiative to promote the college game.
The voters participating in the rankings are Casey Angle (former ITA championships director), Virgil Christian (USTA College Tennis), Granger Huntress (Texas College Tennis), Bobby Knight (College Tennis Today), Dallas Oliver (Tennis Recruiting Network), Erica Perkins Jasper (Intercollegiate Tennis Association), Mike Patrick (former University of Tennessee women's coach), Lisa Stone (Parenting Aces) and Bruce Walchuk (Universal Tennis Rating).
Up Next
The Maroon and White travels to Miami (2-1) this Friday to face the Hurricanes at 2 p.m. CT, before traveling to South Florida (1-3) to take on the Bulls at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday.
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Borges wasn't the only Bulldog to move up in the rankings on Wednesday, as the duo of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey vaulted from 59th to 44th in the nation to etch a new career high.
"We're very excited for Nuno and he's played exceptionally this year," head coach Matt Roberts said. "Nic and Trevor have also been solid for us in doubles and it's great to see three players so young get this much recognition. Our entire team has trained hard and improved tremendously and that's reflected in our team ranking."
The No. 16 ranking comes on the heels of a bye week for the Bulldogs as the Maroon and White prepares to face Miami (Fla.) and South Florida for a pair of road matches this weekend. The back-to-back weeks at No. 16 are the highest two-week rankings for the Bulldogs since 2014's 11th and 16th.
In singles, only Petros Chrysochos of Wake Forest and Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State rank higher than MSU's Borges. The Maia, Porto, Portugal native also ranks three spots higher than any other player in the SEC as the next closest is Mike Redlicki of Arkansas.
"Since the fall Nuno has played outstanding," Roberts said. "He has matured mentally and has become an elite player for us over the short time he's been at MSU. We're excited to see him progress further and happy in the direction he's going."
Borges has compiled a 15-3 mark this season, while earning an undefeated record of 3-0 in dual match play for the Bulldogs. The ranking of No. 3 in the nation is the highest mark for any Bulldog in singles play since Romain Ambert accomplished the feat on Sept. 9, 2002.
The sophomore duo of Braun and Foshey earned another career high in the latest ITA rankings as the tandem moved from 59th in Jan. 4 poll to their new standing of 44th in the nation. The pair has earned an 8-4 record overall while splitting dual matches at 1-1 this season.
USTA Releases Inaugural College Tennis Top 25 Team Rankings
Wednesday was a busy day for the Bulldogs as the new weekly poll from the USTA was released as well, with MSU coming in at No. 16. The USTA announced the inaugural rankings earlier last month as its latest initiative to promote the college game.
The voters participating in the rankings are Casey Angle (former ITA championships director), Virgil Christian (USTA College Tennis), Granger Huntress (Texas College Tennis), Bobby Knight (College Tennis Today), Dallas Oliver (Tennis Recruiting Network), Erica Perkins Jasper (Intercollegiate Tennis Association), Mike Patrick (former University of Tennessee women's coach), Lisa Stone (Parenting Aces) and Bruce Walchuk (Universal Tennis Rating).
Up Next
The Maroon and White travels to Miami (2-1) this Friday to face the Hurricanes at 2 p.m. CT, before traveling to South Florida (1-3) to take on the Bulls at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday.
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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