Saturday, April 7
Starkville
10:00 AM
Mississippi State
vs
Arkansas
No. 7 MSU hosts Arkansas on Friday in the final home match of the regular season.
No. 7 Bulldogs To Host No. 44 Arkansas In Home Regular Season Finale
April 05, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Looking to finish undefeated at home in the regular season, the seventh-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (14-1, 8-0 SEC) is set to host No. 44 Arkansas (12-11, 3-6) in its final home match of the regular season on Friday.
The Bulldogs are looking to improve on their record start to the season, with their 14-1 overall ledger being the program's best since 1997 and their 8-0 start in league play being the best in program history. MSU has won 10 consecutive matches.
First serve is set for 3 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre and admission is free. The match time could be altered due to the weather forecast. Follow @HailStateMT on Twitter for updates.
"Arkansas is another very well-coached team in this league that has played well against some really good teams," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "We know that they're going to give us a great match. We've had excellent crowds all year that have helped make the difference for our team and we are excited to be able to play in front of them again on Friday."
Last Time Out For MSU…
The last time the Bulldogs took the court, they improved on their program-best start in league play with a 4-2 win at No. 19 Tennessee on April 1. The Bulldogs got a quick advantage in doubles with a 6-4 win on court 2 by No. 30 Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini over Tennessee's Timo Stodder and Adam Walton. The Vols then went on to take court 3 with a 6-4 win by Nicaise Muamba and Andrew Rogers against MSU's 65th-ranked Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey. On court 1, State's 58th-ranked Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic took UT's 15th-ranked duo of Preston Touliatos and Luis Valero to a tiebreaker to decide the point, but the Volunteer tandem was able to escape with a 7-6(4) win to clinch doubles for UT.
MSU quickly knotted up the score at 1-all when Rakic earned a 6-3, 6-3 win on court 3 against Walton. A few moments later, Braun downed Touliatos 6-3, 6-1 on court 4 to put the Bulldogs ahead for good. However, it would not be easy, as the remaining four courts all went to third sets. The No. 4-ranked Borges was the first Bulldog to take his three-setter, notching a 7-6(1), 5-7, 6-4 triumph over Stodder—the 16th-ranked player in the nation—to put MSU up 3-1. UT would cut State's lead in half when Luca Wiedenmann took a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win against MSU's Foshey on court 6. With the Volunteers one game away from tying it up at 3-all on court 5, the 13th-ranked Bulldog Oradini was able to complete a comeback win with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory against Volunteer Valero on court 2 to seal the deal.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
In this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, MSU moved up five spots to seventh nationally—its highest rank since 1999 when the Bulldogs started the season at No. 3. Five Bulldogs made the cut in the most recent singles and doubles rankings released April 3. In singles, the All-American Borges sits fourth in the nation, where he is the highest-ranked player in the SEC. Oradini is ranked 23rd nationally, while Rakic moved up to No. 83 in the country. In doubles, three Bulldog duos highlight the rankings, led by Braun and Oradini at No. 42. Borges and Rakic are close behind at No. 46—a career-best for the pair, while Braun and Foshey are ranked 85th nationally.
About Arkansas…
Arkansas enters Friday's match riding a three-match win streak. The Razorbacks are led in singles by 38th-ranked Jose Salazar, who is UA's lone ranked singles player. Salazar holds a 14-6 record in dual match play at the No. 1 position. In doubles, Arkansas boasts one ranked tandem, with Oscar Mesquida and Adam Sanjurjo coming in at No. 88 in the country and competing at the No. 1 doubles spot.
The Razorbacks are coached by former MSU head coach Andy Jackson (1989-2001), who led State to 10 NCAA Round of 16 appearances in 11 seasons between 1991-2001, including the NCAA semifinals in 1994 and 1998.
What To Note As MSU Faces Arkansas…
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…
To conclude the regular season, the Bulldogs go on a three-match road swing. The first stop is in Oxford, Miss., to renew its annual rivalry match against 35th-ranked Ole Miss (12-9, 2-7 SEC) this Sunday, April 8. Match time is set for 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs will then travel to No. 5 Texas A&M (April 13, 6 p.m.) and LSU (April 15, Noon) for their final two regular season contests.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Bulldogs are looking to improve on their record start to the season, with their 14-1 overall ledger being the program's best since 1997 and their 8-0 start in league play being the best in program history. MSU has won 10 consecutive matches.
First serve is set for 3 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre and admission is free. The match time could be altered due to the weather forecast. Follow @HailStateMT on Twitter for updates.
"Arkansas is another very well-coached team in this league that has played well against some really good teams," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "We know that they're going to give us a great match. We've had excellent crowds all year that have helped make the difference for our team and we are excited to be able to play in front of them again on Friday."
Last Time Out For MSU…
The last time the Bulldogs took the court, they improved on their program-best start in league play with a 4-2 win at No. 19 Tennessee on April 1. The Bulldogs got a quick advantage in doubles with a 6-4 win on court 2 by No. 30 Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini over Tennessee's Timo Stodder and Adam Walton. The Vols then went on to take court 3 with a 6-4 win by Nicaise Muamba and Andrew Rogers against MSU's 65th-ranked Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey. On court 1, State's 58th-ranked Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic took UT's 15th-ranked duo of Preston Touliatos and Luis Valero to a tiebreaker to decide the point, but the Volunteer tandem was able to escape with a 7-6(4) win to clinch doubles for UT.
MSU quickly knotted up the score at 1-all when Rakic earned a 6-3, 6-3 win on court 3 against Walton. A few moments later, Braun downed Touliatos 6-3, 6-1 on court 4 to put the Bulldogs ahead for good. However, it would not be easy, as the remaining four courts all went to third sets. The No. 4-ranked Borges was the first Bulldog to take his three-setter, notching a 7-6(1), 5-7, 6-4 triumph over Stodder—the 16th-ranked player in the nation—to put MSU up 3-1. UT would cut State's lead in half when Luca Wiedenmann took a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win against MSU's Foshey on court 6. With the Volunteers one game away from tying it up at 3-all on court 5, the 13th-ranked Bulldog Oradini was able to complete a comeback win with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory against Volunteer Valero on court 2 to seal the deal.
MSU In The ITA Rankings…
In this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, MSU moved up five spots to seventh nationally—its highest rank since 1999 when the Bulldogs started the season at No. 3. Five Bulldogs made the cut in the most recent singles and doubles rankings released April 3. In singles, the All-American Borges sits fourth in the nation, where he is the highest-ranked player in the SEC. Oradini is ranked 23rd nationally, while Rakic moved up to No. 83 in the country. In doubles, three Bulldog duos highlight the rankings, led by Braun and Oradini at No. 42. Borges and Rakic are close behind at No. 46—a career-best for the pair, while Braun and Foshey are ranked 85th nationally.
About Arkansas…
Arkansas enters Friday's match riding a three-match win streak. The Razorbacks are led in singles by 38th-ranked Jose Salazar, who is UA's lone ranked singles player. Salazar holds a 14-6 record in dual match play at the No. 1 position. In doubles, Arkansas boasts one ranked tandem, with Oscar Mesquida and Adam Sanjurjo coming in at No. 88 in the country and competing at the No. 1 doubles spot.
The Razorbacks are coached by former MSU head coach Andy Jackson (1989-2001), who led State to 10 NCAA Round of 16 appearances in 11 seasons between 1991-2001, including the NCAA semifinals in 1994 and 1998.
What To Note As MSU Faces Arkansas…
- MSU is in its 94th season of tennis, with Matt Roberts in his fourth season at the helm.
- Since 1973, MSU owns a commanding 28-7 lead in the series against Arkansas and has won nine straight.
- In matches played in Starkville, the Bulldogs are 11-4 and have won four in a row against the Razorbacks.
- In 2017, the Bulldogs notched a decisive 4-1 victory against UA in Fayetteville.
- Against ranked foes under Roberts, MSU is 43-26. Against ranked opponents this season, the Bulldogs are 8-1.
- When the Bulldogs have won doubles in 2018, they are 9-1 and have won nine of the last 11 doubles points. MSU has also won five of the last six doubles points at home.
- At the No. 2 position in doubles MSU is a perfect 13-0.
- Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini have won nine consecutive matches in doubles—all in dual match play—and 10 of their last 11 matches.
- Braun has won 10 of 11 matches to start the season and has won six straight.
- Strahinja Rakic has won four matches in a row and five of his last six.
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
- Final Regular Season Home Match
- FREE Admission
- Toss it for a TV between doubles and singles – Chance to win a FREE TV
- FREE schedule cards, posters and match guides
- Up to 275 Hail State Rewards Points
- 200 Bully's Kids Club Points
- Sorority Hosts: Tri Delta and Chi Omega
Next Up For MSU…
To conclude the regular season, the Bulldogs go on a three-match road swing. The first stop is in Oxford, Miss., to renew its annual rivalry match against 35th-ranked Ole Miss (12-9, 2-7 SEC) this Sunday, April 8. Match time is set for 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs will then travel to No. 5 Texas A&M (April 13, 6 p.m.) and LSU (April 15, Noon) for their final two regular season contests.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts Michigan State Presser
Saturday, May 03
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts & Niccolo Baroni
Friday, May 02
Men's Tennis | Matt Roberts - NCAA Selection Show
Monday, April 28
Mississippi State Men's Tennis vs. Arkansas Recap - 04/07/21
Thursday, April 08