Thursday, April 27
Knoxville, Tenn.
5:00 PM
Mississippi State
4
vs
1
Vanderbilt
Strong singles play sends MSU to next round of SEC Tournament.
MSU Advances To #SECMT17 Quarterfinals After Dominating Singles Play
April 27, 2017 | Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Despite dropping the doubles point to open Thursday's match, the 18th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (18-7) cruised past 49th-ranked Vanderbilt (12-15) as the Bulldogs downed the Commodores, 4-1 in Knoxville.
With the win, MSU advances to the Southeastern Conference Tournament Quarterfinals, where the Bulldogs will face No. 19 South Carolina on Friday at 5 p.m. CT. UTsports.com will provide live stats and video.
"Great win tonight for our guys," head coach Matt Roberts said. "This is the type of match that feels great to get as a team, because you know you competed well and got better. Vanderbilt always battles, so this was a great win against a scrappy team."
The victory improved MSU's record to 18-7 on the season, while the Vandy fell to 12-15 on the year.
MSU took the first match in doubles action, after the ninth-ranked duo of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey blew past No. 47 Lachlan McPhee and Billy Rowe, 6-2. The Bulldog tandem is now an impressive 18-9 on the season, with a team-best nine ranked doubles wins.
On courts two and three the Commodores would fight back as Vandy won over Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic, 6-2 to even the odds. On court two, Vandy would edge out Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter as the Bulldog pair dropped a tough battle, 6-4.
"We looked a little sluggish in doubles play to be honest," Roberts said. "I stepped back and let our guys sort it out after that. They showed a lot of maturity by taking the slow start and turning it into positive energy."
The Bulldogs kicked it into next gear in singles play as the Maroon & White took all six first sets to swing the momentum away from Vandy. On court five, MSU picked up its first point of the contest after Giovanni Oradini turned in a strong performance to win, 6-3, 6-1 over Panu Virtanen.
"I was very proud of Giovanni's effort tonight" Roberts said. "This week he's battled through adversity and grown up a lot. He's been able to focus on what's in front of him instead of worrying about negativity and things he can't control."
It wouldn't be long until the next court would fall MSU's way as Rakic edged out Billy Rowe in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3 to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the match.
MSU wouldn't look back after taking the lead as Foshey gave the Bulldogs a commanding 3-1 advantage. The sophomore took care of Tate Allwardt in an impressive fashion, 6-3, 6-4. Cutura would deliver the 4-1 win after the senior downed No. 107 Baker Newman, 6-2, 7-6(4).
"Today was great, but now we're moving on to South Carolina," Roberts said. "We're locked in to the next goal and focused on improving. Every match is another opportunity to get better and we're looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow."
Up Next
MSU now shifts focus to No. 19 South Carolina as the Bulldogs advance to face the Gamecocks in SEC quarterfinal action on Friday at 5 p.m. CT.
Live Video/Stats
Live stats can be found here, while a live video stream of Friday's match can be found here.
SEC Championship Info
For information on past matches, tourney draws, stats, parking maps or anything else SEC Tournament related, visit here.
Additional Notes
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 18 Mississippi State 4, No. 49 Vanderbilt 1
SEC Championship – First Round
April 27, 2017 – Knoxville, Tenn. – Barksdale Stadium
Doubles
1. No. 9 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. No. 47 Lachlan McPhee/Billy Rowe (VU) 6-2
2. Pen Binet/Baker Newman (VU) def. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-4
3. Daniel Valent/Panu Virtanen (VU) def. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. No. 3 Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. No. 54 Daniel Valent (VU) 6-3, 6-6, suspended
2. Mate Cutura (MSU) def. No. 107 Baker Newman (VU) 6-2, 7-6(4)
3. No. 111 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Billy Rowe (VU) 7-5, 6-3
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) vs. Alex Ross (VU) 6-3, 3-6, 1-1, suspended
5. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Panu Virtanen (VU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Tate Allwardt (VU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 2
With the win, MSU advances to the Southeastern Conference Tournament Quarterfinals, where the Bulldogs will face No. 19 South Carolina on Friday at 5 p.m. CT. UTsports.com will provide live stats and video.
"Great win tonight for our guys," head coach Matt Roberts said. "This is the type of match that feels great to get as a team, because you know you competed well and got better. Vanderbilt always battles, so this was a great win against a scrappy team."
The victory improved MSU's record to 18-7 on the season, while the Vandy fell to 12-15 on the year.
MSU took the first match in doubles action, after the ninth-ranked duo of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey blew past No. 47 Lachlan McPhee and Billy Rowe, 6-2. The Bulldog tandem is now an impressive 18-9 on the season, with a team-best nine ranked doubles wins.
On courts two and three the Commodores would fight back as Vandy won over Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic, 6-2 to even the odds. On court two, Vandy would edge out Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter as the Bulldog pair dropped a tough battle, 6-4.
"We looked a little sluggish in doubles play to be honest," Roberts said. "I stepped back and let our guys sort it out after that. They showed a lot of maturity by taking the slow start and turning it into positive energy."
The Bulldogs kicked it into next gear in singles play as the Maroon & White took all six first sets to swing the momentum away from Vandy. On court five, MSU picked up its first point of the contest after Giovanni Oradini turned in a strong performance to win, 6-3, 6-1 over Panu Virtanen.
"I was very proud of Giovanni's effort tonight" Roberts said. "This week he's battled through adversity and grown up a lot. He's been able to focus on what's in front of him instead of worrying about negativity and things he can't control."
It wouldn't be long until the next court would fall MSU's way as Rakic edged out Billy Rowe in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3 to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the match.
MSU wouldn't look back after taking the lead as Foshey gave the Bulldogs a commanding 3-1 advantage. The sophomore took care of Tate Allwardt in an impressive fashion, 6-3, 6-4. Cutura would deliver the 4-1 win after the senior downed No. 107 Baker Newman, 6-2, 7-6(4).
"Today was great, but now we're moving on to South Carolina," Roberts said. "We're locked in to the next goal and focused on improving. Every match is another opportunity to get better and we're looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow."
Up Next
MSU now shifts focus to No. 19 South Carolina as the Bulldogs advance to face the Gamecocks in SEC quarterfinal action on Friday at 5 p.m. CT.
Live Video/Stats
Live stats can be found here, while a live video stream of Friday's match can be found here.
SEC Championship Info
For information on past matches, tourney draws, stats, parking maps or anything else SEC Tournament related, visit here.
Additional Notes
- The Bulldogs have won their last three SEC Tourney openers
- MSU leads Vanderbilt 39-14 all-time
- State defeated Vandy in Nashville, 5-2, on March 16
- MSU is now 7-0 against Vandy on neutral courts
- The Bulldogs are 4-2 this season in neutral matches
- Head Coach Matt Roberts moved to 3-2 all-time in SEC Tourney action
- Mate Cutura clinched his first match of the season
- Cutura picked up his 12th ranked singles win of his career
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 18 Mississippi State 4, No. 49 Vanderbilt 1
SEC Championship – First Round
April 27, 2017 – Knoxville, Tenn. – Barksdale Stadium
Doubles
1. No. 9 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. No. 47 Lachlan McPhee/Billy Rowe (VU) 6-2
2. Pen Binet/Baker Newman (VU) def. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-4
3. Daniel Valent/Panu Virtanen (VU) def. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. No. 3 Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. No. 54 Daniel Valent (VU) 6-3, 6-6, suspended
2. Mate Cutura (MSU) def. No. 107 Baker Newman (VU) 6-2, 7-6(4)
3. No. 111 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Billy Rowe (VU) 7-5, 6-3
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) vs. Alex Ross (VU) 6-3, 3-6, 1-1, suspended
5. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Panu Virtanen (VU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Tate Allwardt (VU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 2
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts Michigan State Presser
Saturday, May 03
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts & Niccolo Baroni
Friday, May 02
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts - NCAA Selection Show
Monday, April 28
Mississippi State Men's Tennis vs. Arkansas Recap - 04/07/21
Thursday, April 08