Friday, March 30
Athens, Ga.
4:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
Georgia
Mississippi State will put its 6-0 conference record on the line Friday at Georgia.
No. 12 Bulldogs Set For Battle Of Bulldogs At No. 20 Georgia On Friday
March 29, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Riding an eight-match win streak, the Mississippi State men's tennis team is set for its second road stint of the 2018 conference slate starting Friday, as the Bulldogs (12-1, 6-0 SEC) will open the weekend at 20th-ranked Georgia (9-7, 2-5) for a battle of the SEC's Bulldogs.
Match time between MSU and UGA is set for 4 p.m. CT at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens and admission is free.
"We're excited to face Georgia on Friday and our guys are ready after another outstanding week of preparation," fourth-year coach Matt Roberts said. "Georgia has an excellent program that always contends for conference and national titles. They compete very hard and are extremely well-coached. We respect them a lot and we can't wait to take the court on Friday for another great match."
Friday's match will be the first of two key top-20 matches for the Bulldogs this weekend, who also face 19th-ranked Tennessee on Sunday.
"This weekend will be a good test of our toughness on the road and how we handle new adversities," Roberts added. "We remain focused on getting better throughout the season and this is a perfect opportunity to test ourselves."
Rakic Named Player Of The Week…
On Wednesday, MSU junior Strahinja Rakic captured SEC Player of the Week honors after going 4-0 last weekend in MSU wins against No. 19 Vanderbilt and No. 21 Kentucky. The Belgrade, Serbia, native highlighted his weekend with a pair of ranked doubles wins and one ranked singles victory. In doubles, he teamed up with Nuno Borges to down VU's 46th-ranked Cameron Klinger and Billy Rowe and Kentucky's 31st-ranked duo of Gus Benson and Cesar Bourgois. In singles, he was one of the first off the court both days, taking a win against 100th-ranked Commodore Baker Newman and UK's Enzo Wallart. He became the second Bulldog named to the award in three weeks, and it was his first career SEC weekly award.
Last Time Out For MSU…
The last time the Bulldogs took the court, they moved to 6-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1997 with a 5-2 win against 21st-ranked Kentucky. The Bulldogs began by taking the doubles point for the fourth straight match. MSU got a quick advantage when No. 58 Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic took a 6-3 win on court 1 against No. 31 Gus Benson and Cesar Bourgois. On court 3, the Wildcats evened things up when Will Bushamuka and Austin Hussey took a 6-3 decision against Florian Broska and Arvid Nordquist. On court 2, the deciding court, State's 30th-ranked Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini continued their hot streak, taking a 6-3 triumph over UK's Ryotaro Matsumura and Enzo Wallart.
In singles, the Wildcats knotted up the score at 1-1 when the 26th-ranked Matsumura upset MSU's third-ranked Nuno Borges 6-2, 6-3. The Maroon and White would reclaim the lead for good when No. 86 Rakic earned his third win in a row with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Wallart on court 3. Braun then defeated Trey Yates 6-1, 7-6(8) on court 4, followed by Broska's clincher on court 5 in which he downed Hussey 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 in an exciting three-setter. Nordquist capped off the Bulldogs' scoring with his first career triumph—a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory against UK's Jake Stefanik on court 6. Bushamuka earned Kentucky's final point of the afternoon, earning a tight 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(8) win against MSU's 13th-ranked Oradini on court 2.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
In this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, MSU moved up a spot to 12th nationally—its highest rank of the season as well as the highest since 2014. Six Bulldogs made the cut in the most recent singles and doubles rankings released March 20, 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, the All-American 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 Georgia…
Georgia enters Friday's match coming off a heartbreaking 4-3 loss at home to then-25th-ranked Tennessee, whom the Bulldogs face Sunday. UGA boasts five players ranked in the ITA singles rankings, led by 15th-ranked Wayne Montgomery at the No. 1 position. Jan Zielinski (21st), Walker Duncan (31st), Emil Reinberg (55th) and Nathan Ponwith (97th) round out the ranked singles players for Georgia.
In doubles, Zielinski pairs with Robert Loeb to form the 10th-ranked doubles tandem in the country. Zielinski is also part of another top-25 duo, teaming up with Duncan to make up the No. 24 tandem, while Duncan and Montgomery are ranked 28th nationally.
What To Note As MSU Faces Georgia…
Live Stats/Video
Live streaming and scoring can be found here: https://hailst.at/2Id2rcX.
Next Up For MSU…
After facing UGA, MSU will make the trip up to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the 19th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. UT (16-5, 5-2 SEC) is coming off a thriller at Georgia on Sunday in which the Volunteers won 4-3.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Match time between MSU and UGA is set for 4 p.m. CT at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens and admission is free.
"We're excited to face Georgia on Friday and our guys are ready after another outstanding week of preparation," fourth-year coach Matt Roberts said. "Georgia has an excellent program that always contends for conference and national titles. They compete very hard and are extremely well-coached. We respect them a lot and we can't wait to take the court on Friday for another great match."
Friday's match will be the first of two key top-20 matches for the Bulldogs this weekend, who also face 19th-ranked Tennessee on Sunday.
"This weekend will be a good test of our toughness on the road and how we handle new adversities," Roberts added. "We remain focused on getting better throughout the season and this is a perfect opportunity to test ourselves."
Rakic Named Player Of The Week…
On Wednesday, MSU junior Strahinja Rakic captured SEC Player of the Week honors after going 4-0 last weekend in MSU wins against No. 19 Vanderbilt and No. 21 Kentucky. The Belgrade, Serbia, native highlighted his weekend with a pair of ranked doubles wins and one ranked singles victory. In doubles, he teamed up with Nuno Borges to down VU's 46th-ranked Cameron Klinger and Billy Rowe and Kentucky's 31st-ranked duo of Gus Benson and Cesar Bourgois. In singles, he was one of the first off the court both days, taking a win against 100th-ranked Commodore Baker Newman and UK's Enzo Wallart. He became the second Bulldog named to the award in three weeks, and it was his first career SEC weekly award.
Last Time Out For MSU…
The last time the Bulldogs took the court, they moved to 6-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1997 with a 5-2 win against 21st-ranked Kentucky. The Bulldogs began by taking the doubles point for the fourth straight match. MSU got a quick advantage when No. 58 Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic took a 6-3 win on court 1 against No. 31 Gus Benson and Cesar Bourgois. On court 3, the Wildcats evened things up when Will Bushamuka and Austin Hussey took a 6-3 decision against Florian Broska and Arvid Nordquist. On court 2, the deciding court, State's 30th-ranked Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini continued their hot streak, taking a 6-3 triumph over UK's Ryotaro Matsumura and Enzo Wallart.
In singles, the Wildcats knotted up the score at 1-1 when the 26th-ranked Matsumura upset MSU's third-ranked Nuno Borges 6-2, 6-3. The Maroon and White would reclaim the lead for good when No. 86 Rakic earned his third win in a row with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Wallart on court 3. Braun then defeated Trey Yates 6-1, 7-6(8) on court 4, followed by Broska's clincher on court 5 in which he downed Hussey 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 in an exciting three-setter. Nordquist capped off the Bulldogs' scoring with his first career triumph—a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory against UK's Jake Stefanik on court 6. Bushamuka earned Kentucky's final point of the afternoon, earning a tight 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(8) win against MSU's 13th-ranked Oradini on court 2.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
In this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, MSU moved up a spot to 12th nationally—its highest rank of the season as well as the highest since 2014. Six Bulldogs made the cut in the most recent singles and doubles rankings released March 20, 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, the All-American 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 Georgia…
Georgia enters Friday's match coming off a heartbreaking 4-3 loss at home to then-25th-ranked Tennessee, whom the Bulldogs face Sunday. UGA boasts five players ranked in the ITA singles rankings, led by 15th-ranked Wayne Montgomery at the No. 1 position. Jan Zielinski (21st), Walker Duncan (31st), Emil Reinberg (55th) and Nathan Ponwith (97th) round out the ranked singles players for Georgia.
In doubles, Zielinski pairs with Robert Loeb to form the 10th-ranked doubles tandem in the country. Zielinski is also part of another top-25 duo, teaming up with Duncan to make up the No. 24 tandem, while Duncan and Montgomery are ranked 28th nationally.
What To Note As MSU Faces Georgia…
- MSU is in its 94th season of tennis, with Matt Roberts in his fourth season at the helm.
- Georgia owns a 56-8 lead in the series since 1969, and a 23-2 lead in matches played in Athens.
- MSU's last win against Georgia came in 2015, when it won a 4-2 decision in Starkville.
- The two teams met twice last season, with Georgia claiming both. In Starkville, UGA won 4-0. The second meeting was much closer, with Georgia earning a tight 4-3 win in the 2017 SEC Tournament title match in Knoxville, Tenn.
- Against ranked foes under Roberts, MSU is 41-26. Against ranked opponents this season, the Bulldogs are 6-1.
- On the road in the SEC under Roberts, MSU is 15-11.
- When the Bulldogs clinch doubles, they are 8-1 and have won seven of the last eight doubles points.
- Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini have won seven consecutive matches in doubles—all in dual match play.
- Braun has won nine of 10 matches to start the season and has won five straight.
- Florian Broska is currently riding a three-match win streak in singles, needing one more win to tie his career best. His four wins at the No. 5 position in league play leads the SEC.
- Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic have won three straight in doubles—all against ranked foes.
Live Stats/Video
Live streaming and scoring can be found here: https://hailst.at/2Id2rcX.
Next Up For MSU…
After facing UGA, MSU will make the trip up to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on the 19th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. UT (16-5, 5-2 SEC) is coming off a thriller at Georgia on Sunday in which the Volunteers won 4-3.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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