Saturday, May 13
Atlanta, Ga.
10:00 AM
Mississippi State
vs
Northwestern
No. 18 MSU faces No. 39 Northwestern in the first round of the NCAA Championship.
No. 18 MSU Women’s Tennis Opens NCAAs Vs. No. 39 Northwestern Saturday
May 12, 2017 | Women's Tennis
ATLANTA, Ga. – Making its third consecutive NCAA appearance, the 18th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team begins play in the 2017 NCAA Championship Saturday, taking on 39th-ranked Northwestern in the opening round. Saturday's match is slated for a 10 a.m. CT start time at Georgia Tech's Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
Live stats and video will be provided via ramblinwreck.com for Saturday's match, which is only the second meeting ever between the Bulldogs and Wildcats. Should State advance, MSU will play again on Sunday against the winner of eighth-ranked regional host Georgia Tech or Alabama State for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens, Georgia, on May 19.
State enters the tournament with 15 wins this season to date, with all eight setbacks coming against current top 17 teams, with four coming in the top 10. MSU has routed five top 25 opponents and went a perfect 3-0 against top 50 opponents in 2017. The Bulldogs' seven SEC wins this year tied the program best, which the team set last season, and MSU also advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Championship for the third year in a row.
State's seventh-ranked All-American Jasmine Lee leads the team with incredible 23-6 overall and 19-3 dual match records this year, representing State in all contests at the No. 1 position. She has posted 13 wins against ranked opponents and has bested herself in achieving the highest women's singles ranking ever for MSU at No. 7 in the country last week. Lee was also honored with First-Team All-SEC honors this year for the third consecutive season.
Freshmen Lisa Marie Rioux and Sara Lizariturry have combined for a total of 35 wins in singles and 43 wins in doubles. Rioux was honored with All-SEC Freshman Team accolades. Sophomore Anastasia Rentouli has been a mainstay at the No. 4 position posting a 5-8 record. Juniors Jennifer Brown, Madison Harrison and Khrystyna Vozniak round out the lineup for MSU.
The Bulldogs boast the second-ranked doubles team in the nation in Lee and Rioux. The two have composed remarkable 24-5 overall and 16-4 dual match record this year, with all contests being played at the No. 1 position in MSU's lineup. The pair has ousted 10 ranked opponents this season.
State's first-round foe, Northwestern, made it to the semifinals of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament. The Wildcats boast 82nd-ranked Erin Larner in singles. In doubles, the Wildcats have two ranked duos in No. 15 Maddie Lipp and Alex Chatt. Lipp also pairs with Rheeya Doshi to rank No. 36 nationally.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats have only faced each other once ever with Northwestern claiming a victory in a 1990 neutral site match in Bloomington, Ind. NU is coached by former Mississippi State player, All-American, and 1989 NCAA Doubles Champion Claire Pollard, who is in her 19th season at Northwestern.
Admission
Admission for the First and Second Rounds will be free at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
Up Next
Should the Bulldogs advance, MSU will play again on Sunday against the winner of eighth-ranked regional host Georgia Tech or Alabama State for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens, Georgia, on May 19.
Additional Notes
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State women's tennis program, follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Live stats and video will be provided via ramblinwreck.com for Saturday's match, which is only the second meeting ever between the Bulldogs and Wildcats. Should State advance, MSU will play again on Sunday against the winner of eighth-ranked regional host Georgia Tech or Alabama State for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens, Georgia, on May 19.
State enters the tournament with 15 wins this season to date, with all eight setbacks coming against current top 17 teams, with four coming in the top 10. MSU has routed five top 25 opponents and went a perfect 3-0 against top 50 opponents in 2017. The Bulldogs' seven SEC wins this year tied the program best, which the team set last season, and MSU also advanced to the quarterfinals of the SEC Championship for the third year in a row.
State's seventh-ranked All-American Jasmine Lee leads the team with incredible 23-6 overall and 19-3 dual match records this year, representing State in all contests at the No. 1 position. She has posted 13 wins against ranked opponents and has bested herself in achieving the highest women's singles ranking ever for MSU at No. 7 in the country last week. Lee was also honored with First-Team All-SEC honors this year for the third consecutive season.
Freshmen Lisa Marie Rioux and Sara Lizariturry have combined for a total of 35 wins in singles and 43 wins in doubles. Rioux was honored with All-SEC Freshman Team accolades. Sophomore Anastasia Rentouli has been a mainstay at the No. 4 position posting a 5-8 record. Juniors Jennifer Brown, Madison Harrison and Khrystyna Vozniak round out the lineup for MSU.
The Bulldogs boast the second-ranked doubles team in the nation in Lee and Rioux. The two have composed remarkable 24-5 overall and 16-4 dual match record this year, with all contests being played at the No. 1 position in MSU's lineup. The pair has ousted 10 ranked opponents this season.
State's first-round foe, Northwestern, made it to the semifinals of the 2017 Big Ten Tournament. The Wildcats boast 82nd-ranked Erin Larner in singles. In doubles, the Wildcats have two ranked duos in No. 15 Maddie Lipp and Alex Chatt. Lipp also pairs with Rheeya Doshi to rank No. 36 nationally.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats have only faced each other once ever with Northwestern claiming a victory in a 1990 neutral site match in Bloomington, Ind. NU is coached by former Mississippi State player, All-American, and 1989 NCAA Doubles Champion Claire Pollard, who is in her 19th season at Northwestern.
Admission
Admission for the First and Second Rounds will be free at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex.
Up Next
Should the Bulldogs advance, MSU will play again on Sunday against the winner of eighth-ranked regional host Georgia Tech or Alabama State for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens, Georgia, on May 19.
Additional Notes
- The Bulldogs are making their third-straight NCAA appearance and seventh overall
- State is 5–6 all-time in the NCAA Team Championship, but has a 5-1 record in the opening round
- The NCAA opener will be only the second all-time meeting between MSU and Northwestern
- Northwestern won the only previous matchup in 1990 at a neutral site
- NU is coached by former Mississippi State player, All-American and 1989 NCAA Doubles Champion Claire Pollard, who is in her 19th season at Northwestern
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State women's tennis program, follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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