Fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts and the 14th-ranked Bulldogs begin play Jan. 14 vs. UAB.
Bulldog Tennis To Begin 2018 Season At No. 14 Nationally
January 03, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the seventh-consecutive season, the Mississippi State men's tennis team will open the spring campaign in the Top 30 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Rankings as the Bulldogs begin 2018 ranked 14th nationally, as announced in the ITA's season-opening team rankings Wednesday.
State's No. 14 ranking is the highest the Bulldogs have begun a spring dual match campaign since Per Nilsson's squad began the 2014 season also ranked 14th.
The Bulldogs finished last season ranked 18th overall in the country after advancing to the finals of the SEC Championship (first time since 1996) and the second round of the 2017 NCAA Championship. The NCAA appearance was the program's 26th postseason berth and third straight in head coach Matt Roberts' three seasons at the helm.
"We worked very hard in the fall and it showed on the court in individual play," Roberts said. "We are excited to get back to working hard and competing together as a unit. We have a really exciting schedule that is going to challenge us in so many different ways."
The Bulldogs boast four players in the latest individual singles rankings that were released Nov. 15, with All-American Nuno Borges leading the charge at No. 3 nationally. Giovanni Oradini (29th), Strahinja Rakic (54th) and Niclas Braun (118th) round out State's singles rankings, which marked the first-ever for both Oradini and Braun.
On the doubles side, the tandem of Oradini and freshman Florian Broska are ranked 41st nationally, while the duo of Braun and Trevor Foshey begin the spring at No. 49. Broska and Oradini went 4-2 in their first action as a pair while reaching the semifinals of the doubles main draw in the 2017 ITA Southern Regional Championships. Braun and Foshey also did most of their damage in Baton Rouge, riding a four-match win streak and finishing as ITA Southern Regional doubles finalists for the second straight year.
State is set to begin an exciting home schedule, with 11 matches inside the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Eleven of MSU's matches are against squads that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including South Florida, Wisconsin and No. 22 Tulane. UAB, Miami, San Diego State and Pepperdine will also visit Starkville. State's SEC slate features seven NCAA Tournament teams from last season, with MSU hosting four of those foes – No. 9 Florida, No. 20 South Carolina, Kentucky and Arkansas - at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
Next Up For MSU…
The Bulldogs open up their season at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Pitts Tennis Centre, hosting UAB—the first contest of a three-match home stand for MSU. State will also welcome South Florida (Jan. 19, 1 p.m.) and Miami (Jan. 21, Noon) to Starkville in its opening month of action.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
State's No. 14 ranking is the highest the Bulldogs have begun a spring dual match campaign since Per Nilsson's squad began the 2014 season also ranked 14th.
The Bulldogs finished last season ranked 18th overall in the country after advancing to the finals of the SEC Championship (first time since 1996) and the second round of the 2017 NCAA Championship. The NCAA appearance was the program's 26th postseason berth and third straight in head coach Matt Roberts' three seasons at the helm.
"We worked very hard in the fall and it showed on the court in individual play," Roberts said. "We are excited to get back to working hard and competing together as a unit. We have a really exciting schedule that is going to challenge us in so many different ways."
The Bulldogs boast four players in the latest individual singles rankings that were released Nov. 15, with All-American Nuno Borges leading the charge at No. 3 nationally. Giovanni Oradini (29th), Strahinja Rakic (54th) and Niclas Braun (118th) round out State's singles rankings, which marked the first-ever for both Oradini and Braun.
On the doubles side, the tandem of Oradini and freshman Florian Broska are ranked 41st nationally, while the duo of Braun and Trevor Foshey begin the spring at No. 49. Broska and Oradini went 4-2 in their first action as a pair while reaching the semifinals of the doubles main draw in the 2017 ITA Southern Regional Championships. Braun and Foshey also did most of their damage in Baton Rouge, riding a four-match win streak and finishing as ITA Southern Regional doubles finalists for the second straight year.
State is set to begin an exciting home schedule, with 11 matches inside the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Eleven of MSU's matches are against squads that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including South Florida, Wisconsin and No. 22 Tulane. UAB, Miami, San Diego State and Pepperdine will also visit Starkville. State's SEC slate features seven NCAA Tournament teams from last season, with MSU hosting four of those foes – No. 9 Florida, No. 20 South Carolina, Kentucky and Arkansas - at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
Next Up For MSU…
The Bulldogs open up their season at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Pitts Tennis Centre, hosting UAB—the first contest of a three-match home stand for MSU. State will also welcome South Florida (Jan. 19, 1 p.m.) and Miami (Jan. 21, Noon) to Starkville in its opening month of action.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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