Sunday, March 25
Starkville
1:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Kentucky
Mississippi State hopes to keep its winning streak alive on Sunday vs. No. 21 Kentucky.
No. 13 Bulldogs Set To Host No. 21 Kentucky On Sunday
March 24, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Midway through the always-difficult Southeastern Conference slate, the 13th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (11-1, 5-0) is set to face its seventh ranked foe of 2018, and fifth straight in league play, Sunday when it hosts No. 21 Kentucky (12-5, 5-1) at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
The Bulldogs hope to continue their undefeated streak in league action, as well as continue their dominance on the home courts where they have won 11 in a row dating back to last season.
"Kentucky is a very good team that is well-coached," said Roberts, who earned his 70th career win as head coach on Friday. "We beat them 4-3 at their place last year, so this match is going to be another great test for us. Friday's crowd for our match against Vanderbilt was tremendous and made a difference for our guys. We want them all back on Sunday for another big match."
Last Time Out For MSU…
The last time MSU took the court, it faced a difficult test from 19th-ranked Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs continued their hot doubles play, with MSU's No. 30 Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini earning their sixth straight win by defeating VU's Lachlan McPhee and Panu Virtanen by a 6-3 mark on court 2. State's 58th-ranked Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic then notched their second consecutive win against a ranked foe when they defeated 46th-ranked Cameron Klinger and Billy Rowe 7-6(2). In the tiebreaker, Borges and Rakic dominated, winning 7-2 to clinch the doubles point at the No. 1 position. Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey, ranked 65th, were up 5-4 on court 3 when their match was suspended at the clincher.
The Commodores would not go away quietly in singles, however, despite the Bulldogs taking four of six first sets. MSU's 86th-ranked Rakic put the Maroon and White up 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-0 win against Vanderbilt's No. 100 Baker Newman on court 3. Braun then gave the Bulldogs a commanding 3-0 lead when he downed Rowe 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot. VU earned its first point of the day when the 22nd-ranked Klinger upset MSU's third-ranked Borges to end the junior All-American's remarkable 16-match win streak. The Commodores inched a little closer when George Harwell defeated Foshey on court 6 in a tight 6-3, 7-5 decision. The Bulldogs sealed the deal when Broska earned an exciting, hard-fought three-set victory on court 5, downing Maxwell Freeman 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to end the match. State's 13th-ranked Oradini's match went unfinished, with the sophomore up 6-4, 6-6 against No. 56 Daniel Valent. At the clincher, Oradini led 6-1 in the tiebreaker.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
In this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, MSU moved up two spots to No. 13—tying its highest rank of the season. Six Bulldogs made the cut in the singles and doubles rankings, led by four doubles pairs. Borges and Rakic jumped into the top-60 at No. 58, while Braun and Oradini made their doubles rankings debut at 30th nationally. Broska and Foshey sit at No. 65, while Braun and Foshey are ranked 74th. In singles, Borges moved up to third in the nation, where he is the highest-ranked player in the SEC. Oradini moved back up to 13th—tying his career best, while Rakic was tabbed No. 86 nationally.
About Kentucky…
No. 21 Kentucky enters Sunday's matinee on a two-match win streak, most recently defeating Auburn 5-2 on the Plains Friday night. The Wildcats also downed South Carolina 4-2 on March 18.
The Wildcats are led in singles by Ryotaro Matsumura, who is ranked 26th nationally and has not lost a match since Bulldog Nuno Borges defeated him in the second round of the 2017 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. Matsumura plays at the No. 1 position and is 12-1 on the year. In doubles, UK has one ranked duo, with Gus Benson and Cesar Bourgois ranked 31st in the country.
What To Note As MSU Hosts Kentucky…
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…
The Bulldogs will hit the road next weekend for a pair of tough road tests. On March 31, MSU will travel to Athens to take on No. 14 Georgia at 4 p.m. CT before heading to Knoxville to face another top-25 foe in 25th-ranked Tennessee at noon CT on April 1.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Bulldogs hope to continue their undefeated streak in league action, as well as continue their dominance on the home courts where they have won 11 in a row dating back to last season.
"Kentucky is a very good team that is well-coached," said Roberts, who earned his 70th career win as head coach on Friday. "We beat them 4-3 at their place last year, so this match is going to be another great test for us. Friday's crowd for our match against Vanderbilt was tremendous and made a difference for our guys. We want them all back on Sunday for another big match."
Last Time Out For MSU…
The last time MSU took the court, it faced a difficult test from 19th-ranked Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs continued their hot doubles play, with MSU's No. 30 Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini earning their sixth straight win by defeating VU's Lachlan McPhee and Panu Virtanen by a 6-3 mark on court 2. State's 58th-ranked Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic then notched their second consecutive win against a ranked foe when they defeated 46th-ranked Cameron Klinger and Billy Rowe 7-6(2). In the tiebreaker, Borges and Rakic dominated, winning 7-2 to clinch the doubles point at the No. 1 position. Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey, ranked 65th, were up 5-4 on court 3 when their match was suspended at the clincher.
The Commodores would not go away quietly in singles, however, despite the Bulldogs taking four of six first sets. MSU's 86th-ranked Rakic put the Maroon and White up 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-0 win against Vanderbilt's No. 100 Baker Newman on court 3. Braun then gave the Bulldogs a commanding 3-0 lead when he downed Rowe 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot. VU earned its first point of the day when the 22nd-ranked Klinger upset MSU's third-ranked Borges to end the junior All-American's remarkable 16-match win streak. The Commodores inched a little closer when George Harwell defeated Foshey on court 6 in a tight 6-3, 7-5 decision. The Bulldogs sealed the deal when Broska earned an exciting, hard-fought three-set victory on court 5, downing Maxwell Freeman 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to end the match. State's 13th-ranked Oradini's match went unfinished, with the sophomore up 6-4, 6-6 against No. 56 Daniel Valent. At the clincher, Oradini led 6-1 in the tiebreaker.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
In this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, MSU moved up two spots to No. 13—tying its highest rank of the season. Six Bulldogs made the cut in the singles and doubles rankings, led by four doubles pairs. Borges and Rakic jumped into the top-60 at No. 58, while Braun and Oradini made their doubles rankings debut at 30th nationally. Broska and Foshey sit at No. 65, while Braun and Foshey are ranked 74th. In singles, Borges moved up to third in the nation, where he is the highest-ranked player in the SEC. Oradini moved back up to 13th—tying his career best, while Rakic was tabbed No. 86 nationally.
About Kentucky…
No. 21 Kentucky enters Sunday's matinee on a two-match win streak, most recently defeating Auburn 5-2 on the Plains Friday night. The Wildcats also downed South Carolina 4-2 on March 18.
The Wildcats are led in singles by Ryotaro Matsumura, who is ranked 26th nationally and has not lost a match since Bulldog Nuno Borges defeated him in the second round of the 2017 Oracle ITA National Fall Championships. Matsumura plays at the No. 1 position and is 12-1 on the year. In doubles, UK has one ranked duo, with Gus Benson and Cesar Bourgois ranked 31st in the country.
What To Note As MSU Hosts Kentucky…
- MSU is in its 94th season of tennis, with Matt Roberts in his fourth season at the helm.
- Since 1971, MSU is 22-29 against Kentucky, but leads 12-7 in matches played in Starkville.
- State has won the last four meetings with the Wildcats.
- In 2017, the Bulldogs earned an exciting 4-3 win against UK in Lexington.
- The Bulldogs have won seven consecutive SEC matches at A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
- Under Roberts, State is a solid 18-5 in home conference matches.
- The Bulldogs have won eight home matches in a row to start off the 2018 season, and have won 11 straight at Pitts dating back to 2017.
- Niclas Braun has won eight of his first nine matches to start the season and has won four in a row.
- On Friday versus No. 19 Vanderbilt, Bulldog rookie Florian Broska clinched a match for the first time in his MSU career.
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
- Toss it for a TV between doubles and singles – Chance to win a FREE TV
- Junior Team Recognition
- FREE schedule cards, posters and match guides
- Up to 275 Hail State Rewards Points
- 200 Bully's Kids Club Points
- Sorority Host: Delta Gamma
Next Up For MSU…
The Bulldogs will hit the road next weekend for a pair of tough road tests. On March 31, MSU will travel to Athens to take on No. 14 Georgia at 4 p.m. CT before heading to Knoxville to face another top-25 foe in 25th-ranked Tennessee at noon CT on April 1.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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