Friday, February 23
New Orleans, La.
1:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
Tulane
The Bulldogs will re-take the court on Friday against Tulane in New Orleans
Bulldog Men's Tennis Travels South To Face Tulane Friday
February 22, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – With one more match before the start of Southeastern Conference play, the 39th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (5-1) heads south to New Orleans to take on No. 30 Tulane (4-2) on Friday. Match time between the Bulldogs and the Green Wave at City Park Pepsi Tennis Center is set for 1 p.m. and admission to the contest is free.
"We're excited about another chance to test ourselves on the road on Friday before beginning SEC play," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "Tulane has a great program that is well-coached with great players, and this matchup will be a great match for us."
Last Time Out For MSU…
In their previous match last Friday, the Bulldogs dominated from start to finish against San Diego State, beginning on the doubles courts en route to a 6-1 victory against the Aztecs. State mixed up the lineup a bit for the first time in 2018, and the match began with MSU taking the doubles point. On court 2, Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini teamed up to take a 6-2 victory to give the Bulldogs a quick advantage. Shortly thereafter, Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey paired up to clinch the point for State, winning 6-1 at the No. 3 spot. Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic started on court 1 for MSU, and led 5-4 before their match was suspended.
In singles action, MSU kept up the momentum, grabbing first-set victories on five of the six courts. The second-ranked Borges earned a quick 6-0, 6-1 win on court 1, followed by No. 60 Rakic taking a 6-3, 6-2 decision on court 3. No. 13 Oradini sealed the deal for State on court 2 by winning 6-2, 6-1. Broska won at the No. 4 position by a 6-1, 6-3 mark, while Foshey claimed a 6-0, 6-4 triumph on court 5. SDSU's lone point came when Aztec David Hough won a tightly-contested 6-4, 6-4 decision against the Bulldog's Hunter Harrison, who was making his MSU dual match debut.
The Maroon and White was set to host Pepperdine on Feb. 11, but the match was canceled due to rainy conditions.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its first computer-generated team rankings of 2018 on Tuesday, with State entering at No. 39. Five Bulldogs made the cut in the individual rankings. Borges led the way, being ranked fourth nationally in singles, followed by Oradini, who came in at No. 20. Rakic rounded out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at 70th. In doubles, Broska and Foshey checked in at No. 51—the pair's first ranking ever.
About Tulane…
Tulane enters the match ranked 30th overall in this week's ITA Rankings. The Green Wave is coming off a 7-0 victory against in-state foe Nicholls State on Feb. 18. The Bulldogs and Green Wave share a couple of common opponents, with Tulane downing Miami 6-1 to open the season and dropping a tight 4-3 decision at then-No. 11 Oklahoma State on Feb. 4. Likewise, MSU downed Miami (5-2) and fell in Stillwater (4-1).
The Green Wave boasts a very talented lineup led by senior standout Constantin Schmitz. Schmitz, who is ranked 24th in the nation, holds a 14-6 overall record in 2017-18. In addition to Schmitz, Tyler Schick is ranked No. 95 in Tuesday's ITA singles rankings. Schmitz and Schick are tied for the team lead in victories with 14. In doubles, Schick pairs up with Luis Erlenbusch to form the No. 50 doubles tandem in the country. The duo leads the Green Wave with an 11-4 ledger.
What To Note As MSU Faces Tulane…
Live Stats/Video
No live statistics or stream will be available for Friday's match, so follow @HailStateMT on Twitter for match updates.
Next Up For MSU…
Upon returning from the Crescent City, the Bulldogs will return to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre to open the much-anticipated SEC slate against Auburn at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. Admission to all regular-season home matches at Pitts is free.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
"We're excited about another chance to test ourselves on the road on Friday before beginning SEC play," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "Tulane has a great program that is well-coached with great players, and this matchup will be a great match for us."
Last Time Out For MSU…
In their previous match last Friday, the Bulldogs dominated from start to finish against San Diego State, beginning on the doubles courts en route to a 6-1 victory against the Aztecs. State mixed up the lineup a bit for the first time in 2018, and the match began with MSU taking the doubles point. On court 2, Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini teamed up to take a 6-2 victory to give the Bulldogs a quick advantage. Shortly thereafter, Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey paired up to clinch the point for State, winning 6-1 at the No. 3 spot. Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic started on court 1 for MSU, and led 5-4 before their match was suspended.
In singles action, MSU kept up the momentum, grabbing first-set victories on five of the six courts. The second-ranked Borges earned a quick 6-0, 6-1 win on court 1, followed by No. 60 Rakic taking a 6-3, 6-2 decision on court 3. No. 13 Oradini sealed the deal for State on court 2 by winning 6-2, 6-1. Broska won at the No. 4 position by a 6-1, 6-3 mark, while Foshey claimed a 6-0, 6-4 triumph on court 5. SDSU's lone point came when Aztec David Hough won a tightly-contested 6-4, 6-4 decision against the Bulldog's Hunter Harrison, who was making his MSU dual match debut.
The Maroon and White was set to host Pepperdine on Feb. 11, but the match was canceled due to rainy conditions.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its first computer-generated team rankings of 2018 on Tuesday, with State entering at No. 39. Five Bulldogs made the cut in the individual rankings. Borges led the way, being ranked fourth nationally in singles, followed by Oradini, who came in at No. 20. Rakic rounded out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at 70th. In doubles, Broska and Foshey checked in at No. 51—the pair's first ranking ever.
About Tulane…
Tulane enters the match ranked 30th overall in this week's ITA Rankings. The Green Wave is coming off a 7-0 victory against in-state foe Nicholls State on Feb. 18. The Bulldogs and Green Wave share a couple of common opponents, with Tulane downing Miami 6-1 to open the season and dropping a tight 4-3 decision at then-No. 11 Oklahoma State on Feb. 4. Likewise, MSU downed Miami (5-2) and fell in Stillwater (4-1).
The Green Wave boasts a very talented lineup led by senior standout Constantin Schmitz. Schmitz, who is ranked 24th in the nation, holds a 14-6 overall record in 2017-18. In addition to Schmitz, Tyler Schick is ranked No. 95 in Tuesday's ITA singles rankings. Schmitz and Schick are tied for the team lead in victories with 14. In doubles, Schick pairs up with Luis Erlenbusch to form the No. 50 doubles tandem in the country. The duo leads the Green Wave with an 11-4 ledger.
What To Note As MSU Faces Tulane…
- MSU is in its 94th season of tennis, with Matt Roberts in his fourth season at the helm.
- MSU and Tulane are familiar foes, with the series dating back to 1969. Since 1969, the Bulldogs hold a 12-6 advantage, have claimed four straight meetings and eight of the last 10.
- Last season, State took a 4-1 victory against the Green Wave in Starkville. MSU began with doubles wins by Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic followed by Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey on court 1 to go up 1-0.. Borges, Rakic and Braun all claimed singles victories to propel the Bulldogs to victory.
- In Roberts' tenure, MSU is 35-26 against ranked foes. On the road vs. ranked competition in his three-plus years, the Bulldogs are 10-9.
- Overall on the road under Roberts' leadership, the Bulldogs hold a 14-11 ledger.
- Oradini leads MSU with a 18-7 overall record, including 10 wins against ranked foes.
- Borges, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, comes into the match having not dropped a match since Oct. 6—a 12-match streak.
- Borges and Tulane's Schmitz have met four times on the court in ITA and ITF competition, with Borges winning all four previous meetings.
Live Stats/Video
No live statistics or stream will be available for Friday's match, so follow @HailStateMT on Twitter for match updates.
Next Up For MSU…
Upon returning from the Crescent City, the Bulldogs will return to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre to open the much-anticipated SEC slate against Auburn at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. Admission to all regular-season home matches at Pitts is free.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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