Antonaki Posts Top 25 Win; MSU Unphased In Doubles To Conclude ASU Thunderbird

Sunday, November 11

Tempe, Ariz.

All Day

Mississippi State

ASU Thunderbird

Bulldog newcomer Emma Antonaki upset Washington’s 25th-ranked Vanessa Wong in straight sets – 6-2, 6-3 – Sunday to end her first fall in the Maroon and White with the highest-ranked win of her young career.

Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics

Antonaki Posts Top 25 Win; MSU Unphased In Doubles To Conclude ASU Thunderbird

November 11, 2018 | Women's Tennis

by Emily Pschigoda, Student Assistant/Communications

TEMPE, Ariz. – Mississippi State's women's tennis squad concluded its final day at Arizona State's Thunderbird Invite, going unbeaten in doubles on the weekend and posting a 6-4 singles ledger. The Bulldogs also wrapped up the 2018 fall slate on Sunday.

Bulldog newcomer Emma Antonaki upset Washington's 25th-ranked Vanessa Wong in straight sets – 6-2, 6-3 – Sunday to end her first fall in the Maroon and White with the highest-ranked win of her young career. She ended the semester with two ranked wins and an 8-4 mark.

State's first-time doubles pair of Antonaki and Anastasia Rentouli concluded a pristine weekend by edging host Arizona State's Tereza Kolarova and Sammi Hampton 7-5 to open the final day of fall action.

Also in singles Sunday, MSU's 125th-ranked Rentouli picked up her second win on the weekend, overpowering Kenadi Hance of Washington with ease 6-4, 6-1. The Athens, Greece, native and senior leader concluded her final fall tour by earning 9-3 singles and 5-3 doubles records.

Junior veteran Sara Lizariturry fell in straight sets – 6-4, 6-1 – to the Huskies' Kat Kopcalic to cap her third fall in the Maroon & White.

"The girls did a nice job overall this weekend. They didn't always play their best, but I think they are learning that being competitive is more important than hitting the best shots," said head coach Daryl Greenan. "I felt like the girls played fairly disciplined and organized tennis. It was a solid tournament to cap off the fall season".

Notable Maroon Moments…

First-time tandem Emma Antonaki and Anastasia Rentouli went undefeated on the weekend, winning three straight contests. State's duo was the only team to go unbeaten through the tournament's three-day stretch.
Sara Lizariturry earned her 10th and 11th wins of the fall campaign on Friday and Saturday. The junior has been the Bulldogs' fall singles leader for three straight seasons. Lizariturry is also the only current Bulldog to achieve 10+ fall wins two seasons in a row.
MSU capped the fall with a 48-32 (.600) overall team singles ledger, collecting the most fall singles victories since 2015.
After capturing her highest-ranked singles victory against #25 Vanessa Wong Sunday, the true freshman Antonaki wrapped up her first semester by leading the Maroon & White in individual doubles wins, going 8-2 (.800) in tournament play.

Social Media
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MSU Women's Tennis Results at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational
November 11, 2018 – Tempe, Ariz.

Doubles
Emma Antonaki/Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) def. Tereza Kolarova/Sammi Hampton (Arizona State) 7-5

Singles
Antonaki (MSU) def. #25 Vanessa Wong (Washington) 6-2, 6-3; Kat Kopcalic (Washington) def. Sara Lizariturry (MSU) 6-4, 6-1; Rentouli (MSU) def. Kenadi Hance (Washington) 6-4, 6-1

Numbers preceeding names indicate current ITA national rankings