Sunday, March 11
Starkville
1:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
South Carolina
Another ranked opponent awaits the No. 27 Bulldogs as 28th-ranked South Carolina comes to Pitts Sunday.
No. 27 Bulldogs Host No. 28 South Carolina Sunday In Top-30 Matchup
March 10, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Following a thrilling upset of No. 9 Florida on Friday, the always-tough conference road continues for the 27th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (8-1, 2-0 SEC) Sunday, when the Bulldogs host No. 28 South Carolina (12-3, 2-1) at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
Sunday's match closes out a three-match homestand to open Southeastern Conference play for the Bulldogs.
"South Carolina is a very well-coached team," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "They fight really hard and they're one of those teams in the SEC that pride themselves in how hard they compete. They like to play us and we like to play them because we respect each other for how hard each program plays. It's going to be a battle, and we're excited for another awesome challenge to apply what we've been working on."
Last Time Out For MSU…
The last time the Bulldogs took the court, they took a thrilling 5-2 victory against ninth-ranked Florida. The Bulldogs rallied after dropping a hard-fought doubles point to win five of six singles matches to upset the Gators. On court 3, UF's 10th-ranked Oliver Crawford and Chase Perez-Blanco defeated MSU's No. 59 Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey 6-2. The Bulldogs tightened things up with a 6-4 upset victory on court 2 by Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini over UF's team of No. 12 McClain Kessler and Duarte Vale. The Gators then clinched the doubles point with top-ranked pair Johannes Ingildsen and Alfredo Perez taking a tight 7-6(3) decision against Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic at No. 1.
The Bulldogs roared back in singles action, taking five of six first sets en route to winning five singles matches. The fourth-ranked Borges began by taking a 7-5, 6-2 win against No. 7 Perez on court 1. Oradini then put the Bulldogs ahead for good with the highest-ranked victory of his career, defeating sixth-ranked Ingildsen 6-3, 6-4 on court 2. Foshey then picked up the first of three three-set victories of the day, downing Perez-Blanco 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 on court 6 to put MSU up 3-1. Moments later, on court 4, Braun put the Bulldogs in the win column with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 upset of 68th-ranked Vale. Florida then earned its lone singles point when No. 93 Crawford downed the 82nd-ranked Rakic in a hard-fought three-set battle. To close out the day, Broska picked up the first ranked win of his career, upsetting 101st-ranked Andy Andrade 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(4).
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
In this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, MSU remained at the No. 27 spot nationally as a team. Six Bulldogs made the cut in the singles and doubles rankings. Borges led the way, being ranked fourth nationally in singles, followed by Oradini, who came in at No. 23. Rakic rounded out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at 82nd. Borges' No. 4 ranking currently makes him the top-ranked player in the SEC. In doubles, Broska and Foshey checked in at No. 59, while Braun and Foshey checked back into the rankings at No. 71.
About South Carolina…
South Carolina enters Sunday's match having won five of its last six matches. The Gamecocks most recently took a 5-2 decision at Auburn Friday night to open a four-match road stretch. In that win, South Carolina dropped the doubles point, but rallied to take five singles courts for the victory. USC has played solid away from home, going 9-2 in road/neutral site matches. The Gamecocks bring to Starkville one ranked singles player—Gabriel Friedrich, who is currently ranked No. 29 in the nation. In doubles, Friedrich teams up with Yancy Dennis to form the nation's 34th-ranked tandem.
What To Note As MSU Hosts South Carolina…
Live Stats/Video
For all home matches at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, live video and statistics can be found at www.hailstate.com/livemt.
Friday's Promotions
Next Up For MSU…
After facing the Gamecocks, the Bulldogs will hit the road for the first time in SEC play, taking the short trip across the state line to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama (14-4, 0-3) on Friday, March 16. Match time is set for 6 p.m. After returning from Tuscaloosa, MSU will host Vanderbilt (March 23) and Kentucky (March 25) for another two-match weekend. Admission is free to all home regular season matches at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Sunday's match closes out a three-match homestand to open Southeastern Conference play for the Bulldogs.
"South Carolina is a very well-coached team," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "They fight really hard and they're one of those teams in the SEC that pride themselves in how hard they compete. They like to play us and we like to play them because we respect each other for how hard each program plays. It's going to be a battle, and we're excited for another awesome challenge to apply what we've been working on."
Last Time Out For MSU…
The last time the Bulldogs took the court, they took a thrilling 5-2 victory against ninth-ranked Florida. The Bulldogs rallied after dropping a hard-fought doubles point to win five of six singles matches to upset the Gators. On court 3, UF's 10th-ranked Oliver Crawford and Chase Perez-Blanco defeated MSU's No. 59 Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey 6-2. The Bulldogs tightened things up with a 6-4 upset victory on court 2 by Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini over UF's team of No. 12 McClain Kessler and Duarte Vale. The Gators then clinched the doubles point with top-ranked pair Johannes Ingildsen and Alfredo Perez taking a tight 7-6(3) decision against Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic at No. 1.
The Bulldogs roared back in singles action, taking five of six first sets en route to winning five singles matches. The fourth-ranked Borges began by taking a 7-5, 6-2 win against No. 7 Perez on court 1. Oradini then put the Bulldogs ahead for good with the highest-ranked victory of his career, defeating sixth-ranked Ingildsen 6-3, 6-4 on court 2. Foshey then picked up the first of three three-set victories of the day, downing Perez-Blanco 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 on court 6 to put MSU up 3-1. Moments later, on court 4, Braun put the Bulldogs in the win column with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 upset of 68th-ranked Vale. Florida then earned its lone singles point when No. 93 Crawford downed the 82nd-ranked Rakic in a hard-fought three-set battle. To close out the day, Broska picked up the first ranked win of his career, upsetting 101st-ranked Andy Andrade 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(4).
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
In this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, MSU remained at the No. 27 spot nationally as a team. Six Bulldogs made the cut in the singles and doubles rankings. Borges led the way, being ranked fourth nationally in singles, followed by Oradini, who came in at No. 23. Rakic rounded out the ranked Bulldogs in singles at 82nd. Borges' No. 4 ranking currently makes him the top-ranked player in the SEC. In doubles, Broska and Foshey checked in at No. 59, while Braun and Foshey checked back into the rankings at No. 71.
About South Carolina…
South Carolina enters Sunday's match having won five of its last six matches. The Gamecocks most recently took a 5-2 decision at Auburn Friday night to open a four-match road stretch. In that win, South Carolina dropped the doubles point, but rallied to take five singles courts for the victory. USC has played solid away from home, going 9-2 in road/neutral site matches. The Gamecocks bring to Starkville one ranked singles player—Gabriel Friedrich, who is currently ranked No. 29 in the nation. In doubles, Friedrich teams up with Yancy Dennis to form the nation's 34th-ranked tandem.
What To Note As MSU Hosts South Carolina…
- MSU is in its 94th season of tennis, with Matt Roberts in his fourth season at the helm.
- The Bulldogs own a 19-11 advantage in the series against South Carolina and have won seven of the last eight meetings.
- In Starkville against the Gamecocks, the Bulldogs are 9-4 and have won three in a row.
- The Bulldogs and Gamecocks met twice in 2017, splitting the series. USC won a tight 4-3 decision in Columbia in the final match of the regular season, while the Bulldogs breezed past USC, 4-1, at the SEC Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn.
- The Bulldogs have won five consecutive SEC matches at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
- Under Roberts, State is a solid 16-5 in home conference matches.
- The Bulldogs have won six home matches in a row to start off the 2018 season, and have won nine straight at Pitts dating back to 2017.
- On Friday vs. Florida, Florian Broska notched his first victory against a ranked opponent, defeating 101st-ranked Andy Andrade.
- Foshey and Braun have both won seven of their first eight singles matches to start 2018.
- Against the Gators, Braun notched his 100th career win as a Bulldog (singles and doubles combined).
- Borges, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, comes into the match having not dropped a match since Oct. 6 and is riding a career-best 14-match winning streak.
Live Stats/Video
For all home matches at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, live video and statistics can be found at www.hailstate.com/livemt.
Friday's Promotions
- FREE Admission
- Sunday S'mores
- Toss it for a TV between doubles and singles – Chance to win a FREE TV
- FREE schedule cards, posters and match guides
- 200 Hail State Rewards Points
- 200 Bully's Kids Club Points
Next Up For MSU…
After facing the Gamecocks, the Bulldogs will hit the road for the first time in SEC play, taking the short trip across the state line to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama (14-4, 0-3) on Friday, March 16. Match time is set for 6 p.m. After returning from Tuscaloosa, MSU will host Vanderbilt (March 23) and Kentucky (March 25) for another two-match weekend. Admission is free to all home regular season matches at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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