SEC Champion Mississippi State will host the First and Second rounds of the 2018 NCAA Championship for the first time since 2013.
No. 9 Bulldog Tennis To Host NCAA 1st/2nd Rounds May 11-12
May 01, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the first time since 2013, the Mississippi State men's tennis squad (20-2) has been selected as a host for the 2018 NCAA Championship First and Second Rounds.
The newly-crowned SEC Tournament Champion Bulldogs – who earned the No. 6 national seed in this year's NCAA Championship - will host the event May 11-12, at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on campus.
Play will begin Friday, May 11, with the first match pitting second-seeded Memphis (18-5) against third-seeded South Alabama (14-9) at 10 a.m. CT. Following the match between the Tigers and Jaguars, ninth-ranked MSU will face Tennessee Tech (10-11), scheduled to start no earlier than 1 p.m. The winners of the Friday contests will then face each other in the second round matchup on Saturday, May 12, at 1 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Winston-Salem, N.C., on May 18.
"We're very excited about hosting the NCAA's this year," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "We have a great group of teams coming here to play some great matches next weekend. The guys are excited about the chance to play in front of our awesome home crowd again and they are eager to prepare for the new challenges that we will face next weekend."
Coming into Starkville as the 17-32 alphabetical seed is Memphis. The 20th-ranked Tigers are making their sixth NCAA Championship appearance in seven seasons despite exiting the American Athletic Conference tournament in the semifinals. UM will bring to Starkville a pair of ranked singles players, led by Ryan Peniston at 35th nationally. Andrew Watson comes in at No. 108 in the singles rankings for the Tigers. Peniston and Watson also team up on the doubles courts to form the 43rd-ranked tandem in the nation.
The Tigers will open tourney play against South Alabama, which comes to Starkville after earning an automatic bid by taking the Sun Belt Conference championship. This year marks the first NCAA appearance for USA since 2008. The Jaguars are led by the standout doubles tandem of Loic Cloes and Clement Marzol, who were tabbed first-team All-SBC in singles and doubles and are currently ranked 53rd nationally in doubles.
The final competitor in the four-team field at MSU is Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles enter the field of 64 for the third year in a row, coming off a thrilling 4-3 victory against top-seeded Belmont to win their third-straight Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship. In singles, TTU is led by senior and first team All-OVC selection Edu Mena, who is ranked 63rd nationally.
Tickets for the NCAA event at MSU may be purchased in advance or on each day of the tournament. An all-tournament pass is $8 for adults and $5 for senior citizens, college students, and children under 17. Single-day tickets for Friday and Saturday are $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens, college students, and children under 17. Fans interested in purchasing advance all-tournament tickets may do so by contacting the Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office (662-325-2600 or 1-888-GO-DAWGS) beginning Wednesday. They can also be ordered online at www.HailState.com/tickets.
This is eighth year in a row for MSU to make the NCAA Championship and the program's 27th appearance overall. As a top 16 national seed for the first time since 2013, MSU hopes to earn its way to the round of 16, a feat the program has accomplished 12 times in its impressive history, for the second time in three years – the last coming in 2016.
Selections for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be announced Wednesday, Several Bulldogs hope to earn bids to the draws, including junior All-American Nuno Borges (No. 2 nationally) and sophomore Giovanni Oradini (No. 27 nationally), who earned a spot on the SEC All-Tournament Team on Sunday. The 15th-ranked State doubles tandem of Borges and Strahinja Rakic is expected to receive a bid as well.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2018 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship First and Second Rounds
May 11-12, 2018 – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
5/11/18 – First Round
Match 1 (10 a.m. CT) – No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 3 South Alabama
Match 2 (not before 1 p.m. CT) – No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 4 Tennessee Tech
5/12/18 – Second Round
Match 3 (1 p.m.) – Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Schedule subject to change
The newly-crowned SEC Tournament Champion Bulldogs – who earned the No. 6 national seed in this year's NCAA Championship - will host the event May 11-12, at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on campus.
Play will begin Friday, May 11, with the first match pitting second-seeded Memphis (18-5) against third-seeded South Alabama (14-9) at 10 a.m. CT. Following the match between the Tigers and Jaguars, ninth-ranked MSU will face Tennessee Tech (10-11), scheduled to start no earlier than 1 p.m. The winners of the Friday contests will then face each other in the second round matchup on Saturday, May 12, at 1 p.m. for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Winston-Salem, N.C., on May 18.
"We're very excited about hosting the NCAA's this year," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "We have a great group of teams coming here to play some great matches next weekend. The guys are excited about the chance to play in front of our awesome home crowd again and they are eager to prepare for the new challenges that we will face next weekend."
Coming into Starkville as the 17-32 alphabetical seed is Memphis. The 20th-ranked Tigers are making their sixth NCAA Championship appearance in seven seasons despite exiting the American Athletic Conference tournament in the semifinals. UM will bring to Starkville a pair of ranked singles players, led by Ryan Peniston at 35th nationally. Andrew Watson comes in at No. 108 in the singles rankings for the Tigers. Peniston and Watson also team up on the doubles courts to form the 43rd-ranked tandem in the nation.
The Tigers will open tourney play against South Alabama, which comes to Starkville after earning an automatic bid by taking the Sun Belt Conference championship. This year marks the first NCAA appearance for USA since 2008. The Jaguars are led by the standout doubles tandem of Loic Cloes and Clement Marzol, who were tabbed first-team All-SBC in singles and doubles and are currently ranked 53rd nationally in doubles.
The final competitor in the four-team field at MSU is Tennessee Tech. The Golden Eagles enter the field of 64 for the third year in a row, coming off a thrilling 4-3 victory against top-seeded Belmont to win their third-straight Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship. In singles, TTU is led by senior and first team All-OVC selection Edu Mena, who is ranked 63rd nationally.
Tickets for the NCAA event at MSU may be purchased in advance or on each day of the tournament. An all-tournament pass is $8 for adults and $5 for senior citizens, college students, and children under 17. Single-day tickets for Friday and Saturday are $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens, college students, and children under 17. Fans interested in purchasing advance all-tournament tickets may do so by contacting the Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office (662-325-2600 or 1-888-GO-DAWGS) beginning Wednesday. They can also be ordered online at www.HailState.com/tickets.
This is eighth year in a row for MSU to make the NCAA Championship and the program's 27th appearance overall. As a top 16 national seed for the first time since 2013, MSU hopes to earn its way to the round of 16, a feat the program has accomplished 12 times in its impressive history, for the second time in three years – the last coming in 2016.
Selections for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be announced Wednesday, Several Bulldogs hope to earn bids to the draws, including junior All-American Nuno Borges (No. 2 nationally) and sophomore Giovanni Oradini (No. 27 nationally), who earned a spot on the SEC All-Tournament Team on Sunday. The 15th-ranked State doubles tandem of Borges and Strahinja Rakic is expected to receive a bid as well.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2018 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship First and Second Rounds
May 11-12, 2018 – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
5/11/18 – First Round
Match 1 (10 a.m. CT) – No. 2 Memphis vs. No. 3 South Alabama
Match 2 (not before 1 p.m. CT) – No. 1 Mississippi State vs. No. 4 Tennessee Tech
5/12/18 – Second Round
Match 3 (1 p.m.) – Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner
Schedule subject to change
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