No. 33 MSU Falls At No. 5 Vanderbilt

Friday, March 10

Nashville. Tenn.

3:00 PM

Mississippi State

Vanderbilt

Lisa Marie Rioux won her career first SEC singles match on Friday.

No. 33 MSU Falls At No. 5 Vanderbilt

March 10, 2017 | Women's Tennis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In its first Southeastern Conference road contest of 2017, the 33rd-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team (8-3, 1-2 SEC) fell to fifth-ranked Vanderbilt (8-4, 3-0 SEC) by a 6-1 mark on Vanderbilt's campus Friday.

The Commodores defended their home court by first taking the doubles point to grab the early 1-0 lead. On court 1, VU's 20th-ranked Astra Sharma and Emily Smith upended State's 13th-ranked Jasmine Lee and Lisa Marie Rioux 6-1. Following on court 2, Commodores Sydney Campbell and Emma Kurtz outlasted MSU's Jennifer Brown and Madison Harrison 6-4 to clinch the doubles point and give VU a 1-0 lead.

The remaining court was suspended with the Bulldog tandem of Sara Lizariturry and Anastasia Rentouli leading 5-3 on court 3.

The highly-ranked Commodores would not lose command of the match, taking five first sets in singles to set up their victory.

On court 2, State's Harrison fell to VU's eighth-ranked Campbell 6-1, 6-0 as the Commodores extended their lead to 2-0. Building the lead to 3-0, Vanderbilt's Kurtz ousted MSU's Lizariturry 6-2, 6-0 on court 5.

To clinch the match, the Commodores' No. 65 Christina Rosca defeated the Bulldogs' Rentouli 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot.

Vanderbilt would claim two of the three matches remaining. On court 6, Vandy's Fernanda Contreras held off State's Brown 6-4, 6-2. Providing MSU's lone point of the afternoon, the true freshman Rioux outlasted VU's Georgina Sellyn 6-4, 7-6 at No. 3. In the final match to finish, on court 1, the Commodores' fifth-ranked Sharma held of the Bulldogs' No. 57 Lee 6-4, 3-6, 1-0(4), breaking a seven-match win streak for the MSU senior All-American.

Up Next
State completes its weekend road swing Sunday as the Bulldogs travel to No. 20 Kentucky. The match is slated for 11 a.m. CT on the UK campus.

Additional Notes

Vanderbilt now leads the all-time series 35-7
All of MSU's losses in 2017 have come to current top 10 teams
Freshman Lisa Marie Rioux won her 12th match of the year
Rioux won her eighth dual match of the year and her first SEC singles match ever
Senior Jasmine Lee had a seven-match win streak broken with her setback at No. 1

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

No. 5 Vanderbilt 6, No. 33 Mississippi State 1
March 10, 2017 – Currey Tennis Center – Nashville, Tenn.

Doubles
Order of match finish…1,2
1. No. 20 Astra Sharma/Emily Smith (VU) def. No. 13 Jasmine Lee/Lisa Marie Rioux (MSU) 6-1
2. Sydney Campbell/Emma Kurtz (VU) def. Jennifer Brown/Madison Harrison (MSU) 6-4
3. Sara Lizariturry/Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) vs. Fernanda Contreras/Christina Rosca (VU) 5-3 (susp.)

Singles
Order of match finish…2,5,4,6,3,1
1. No. 5 Astra Sharma (VU) def. No. 57 Jasmine Lee (MSU) 6-4, 3-6, 1-0(4)
2. No. 8 Sydney Campbell (VU) def. Madison Harrison (MSU) 6-1, 6-0?
3. Lisa Marie Rioux (MSU) def. Georgina Sellyn (VU) 6-4, 7-6
4. No. 65 Christina Rosca (VU) def. Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) 6-0, 6-4
5. Emma Kurtz (VU) def. Sara Lizariturry (MSU) 6-2, 6-0?
6. Fernanda Contreras (VU) def. Jennifer Brown (MSU) 6-4, 6-2