Bulldogs Seek Eighth Straight Season-Opening Win Saturday In Birmingham

Saturday, January 19

Birmingham, Ala.

10:00 AM

Mississippi State

Chattanooga

“We are all extremely excited to kick off this season with a challenging double header Saturday,” said head coach Daryl Greenan. “Our girls came back from the break in good shape and have been working hard in practice. I am thrilled to see how we compete this weekend.”

Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics

Bulldogs Seek Eighth Straight Season-Opening Win Saturday In Birmingham

January 18, 2019 | Women's Tennis

by Emily Pschigoda, Student Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State's women's tennis squad will open highly-anticipated dual match play on Saturday in a doubleheader starting with Chattanooga at 10 a.m. and concluding against Samford at 4 p.m. at the Pat M. Courington Tennis Pavillion in Birmingham, Alabama.

"We are all extremely excited to kick off this season with a challenging double header Saturday," said head coach Daryl Greenan. "Our girls came back from the break in good shape and have been working hard in practice. I am thrilled to see how we compete this weekend."

State returns four veterans from last year's NCAA squad, while bringing in a quartet of esteemed newcomers to the roster. Seniors Janina Braun and Anastasia Rentouli are stepping off winning fall showings in singles and doubles, while junior Sara Lizariturry led the Bulldogs in autumn singles action (11-3) for the third straight season.

Entering her second season, sophomore Magda Adaloglou enters 2019 as the 56th-ranked player nationally. Rookie Emma Antonaki also finds herself among the top 60, landing the 55th-ranked spot among the nation's competitors after fall play. Adaloglou and Antonaki also team to form the country's 57th-ranked tandem heading into the spring.

Three members of MSU's newcomer class will debut Saturday. Antonaki, Tamara Racine and sophomore transfer Meredith Roberts combined for a 17-15 singles ledger in the fall to foreshadow the 2019 slate.

Reminiscing on 2018, State reached the NCAA Tournament last spring for a program-record fourth consecutive season. The Bulldogs finished the year as the 29th-ranked team nationally, and captured five top 50 victories in the process. Under ninth-year leader Greenan, MSU earned a 16-11 mark overall, 6-7 in the rugged Southeastern Conference. That SEC mark included a five-match victory string at one point – an upset of No. 2 Vanderbilt highlighting that run.

Chattanooga and Samford also enter the weekend with a fresh slate, as Saturday's contest inaugurates the 2019 season for all three teams.

Up Next For The Bulldogs…
State travels to Gainesville, Florida, for the 2019 ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Bulldogs will face North Carolina State on Saturday, January 26, at 1 p.m. CT in the opening round. On Sunday, MSU will face No. 11 host Florida or UCSB.

Additional Notes…

MSU opens its 45^th season of play on Saturday
State will meet Chattanooga for the first time ever
MSU leads the series with Samford, 6-0
The Bulldogs have won their last seven season-opening matches
Senior Anastasia Rentouli ranks tied for 4^th all-time at MSU in overall wins (123-60). She is 72-30 in singles (t2nd) and 51-30 in doubles (t9th).
Rookie Emma Antonaki became the first newcomer in MSU history to earn two top-25 victories during the fall campaign
Antonaki leads the Bulldogs in individual doubles triumphs as well (8-2)

Social Media
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.