Friday, February 9
Starkville
1:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
San Diego State
Giovanni Oradini rose to a career-best No. 13 national rank on Wednesday and leads the Bulldogs with 17 wins in 2017-18.
No. 14 Men's Tennis Returns To Pitts To Host San Diego State
February 08, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Looking to continue its success at home, the 14th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (4-1) will be back in the friendly confines of the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre at 1 p.m. Friday, hosting San Diego State (0-4).
Friday's match is the first of a two-match home stand before the Bulldogs hit the road again later in the month.
"We are looking forward to getting back in front of our great home crowd at Pitts," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "We respect San Diego State's program and are excited to compete again and play some good tennis on our home courts We have been training very hard since ITA Kick-Off Weekend and we are ready to get back to competing."
Last Time Out For MSU…
In their last match, the Bulldogs fell in a tough 4-1 decision to then-14th-ranked Oklahoma State in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend title match in Stillwater, Okla. The Bulldogs got off to a hot start, taking the doubles point to go up 1-0 early. MSU's tandem of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic took a 6-3 win on court 2 before the Bulldog pair of Florian Broska and Giovanni Oradini dropped a tight 6-4 decision at the No. 3 position. State's duo of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey then earned a point-clinching 6-4 victory on court 1.
In singles action, State had a difficult time against a very solid Cowboys lineup, dropping first sets on five of the six courts. OSU capitalized on the early advantage and rode that momentum to winning matches on courts 3, 4, 5 and 6.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its first individual rankings of 2018 Wednesday, with five Bulldogs making the cut. Borges led the way, being ranked second nationally in singles (matching his career high), followed by Oradini, who climbed 16 spots all the way up to a career-best No. 13. Rakic rounds out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at 60th. In doubles, Braun and Foshey checked in at No. 51.
About San Diego State…
San Diego State comes to Starkville having lost all four of its matches in 2018 and five matches going back to 2017. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan leads the Aztecs with a 9-5 overall record in 2017-18 and holds a 2-2 ledger from the No. 6 spot.
What To Note As MSU Hosts San Diego State…
Live Video/Stats
For all home matches at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, live video and statistics can be found at www.hailstate.com/livemt.
Sunday's Promotions
Next Up For MSU…
The Bulldogs will continue their home stand at noon Sunday against Pepperdine. Fans will have the chance to win a free TV and Sunday S'mores will be available while supplies last. 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.
Friday's match is the first of a two-match home stand before the Bulldogs hit the road again later in the month.
"We are looking forward to getting back in front of our great home crowd at Pitts," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "We respect San Diego State's program and are excited to compete again and play some good tennis on our home courts We have been training very hard since ITA Kick-Off Weekend and we are ready to get back to competing."
Last Time Out For MSU…
In their last match, the Bulldogs fell in a tough 4-1 decision to then-14th-ranked Oklahoma State in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend title match in Stillwater, Okla. The Bulldogs got off to a hot start, taking the doubles point to go up 1-0 early. MSU's tandem of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic took a 6-3 win on court 2 before the Bulldog pair of Florian Broska and Giovanni Oradini dropped a tight 6-4 decision at the No. 3 position. State's duo of Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey then earned a point-clinching 6-4 victory on court 1.
In singles action, State had a difficult time against a very solid Cowboys lineup, dropping first sets on five of the six courts. OSU capitalized on the early advantage and rode that momentum to winning matches on courts 3, 4, 5 and 6.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its first individual rankings of 2018 Wednesday, with five Bulldogs making the cut. Borges led the way, being ranked second nationally in singles (matching his career high), followed by Oradini, who climbed 16 spots all the way up to a career-best No. 13. Rakic rounds out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at 60th. In doubles, Braun and Foshey checked in at No. 51.
About San Diego State…
San Diego State comes to Starkville having lost all four of its matches in 2018 and five matches going back to 2017. Rafael Gonzalez Almazan leads the Aztecs with a 9-5 overall record in 2017-18 and holds a 2-2 ledger from the No. 6 spot.
What To Note As MSU Hosts San Diego State…
- MSU is in its 94th season of tennis, with Matt Roberts in his fourth season at the helm.
- State was tied for 14th in Wednesday's ITA team rankings, marking 36 consecutive weeks the Bulldogs have been ranked in the top 25.
- MSU and San Diego State have only met once before on the court, with the Bulldogs taking a 5-2 victory last season in San Diego to open the 2017 campaign.
- In that match against the Aztecs, Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic earned a 6-0 win to help State clinch the doubles point. Borges, Rakic, Niclas Braun and Simon Baudry all claimed singles victories with Braun clinching the match.
- The Bulldogs have won their last 17 non-conference matches at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
- Under Roberts, State is 21-1 in non-conference matches at home.
- Oradini leads MSU with a 17-7 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—an 11-match streak.
Live Video/Stats
For all home matches at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, live video and statistics can be found at www.hailstate.com/livemt.
Sunday's Promotions
- Tennis ball toss for a free TV between doubles and singles
- Free admission
- Program covers
- Free posters and schedule cards
- Sorority Host: Alpha Delta Pi
Next Up For MSU…
The Bulldogs will continue their home stand at noon Sunday against Pepperdine. Fans will have the chance to win a free TV and Sunday S'mores will be available while supplies last. 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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