Saturday, February 23
Orlando, Fla.
1:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
Oklahoma
No. 9 MSU men's tennis is closing out a three-week road swing with a neutral-site match vs. No. 21 Oklahoma at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday.
No. 9 MSU Set For Top-25 Battle With No. 21 Oklahoma In Orlando
February 22, 2019 | Men's Tennis
by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE – After taking on three top-15 opponents at the 2019 ITA National Team Indoor Championship last weekend, the road does not get any easier for the No. 9 Mississippi State men's tennis team.
Coming off a 4-2 win over No. 11 Notre Dame to conclude the ITA Indoors, the Bulldogs (7-2) travel to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida – also the final site of the 2019 NCAA Championships - for a key neutral-site showdown with No. 21 Oklahoma (7-2). The match is part of the USTA National Campus' Collegiate Series, and admission is free.
"We're ready to compete at the USTA National Campus, where the NCAA will host the final site in May," head coach Matt Roberts said. "Oklahoma has a great team and we see this as a great opportunity to prepare us for upcoming outdoor matches to start the SEC season, as well as the matches at the end of the season if we advance to the final site. We have enjoyed being on the road this month, which gives us a lot of time together. During this time, we've been focusing on the root and not the fruit, and that's what our team is all about. This last road trip will be another great opportunity to build as a team and focus on this process together."
MSU In The Oracle ITA Rankings …
The Bulldogs are currently ranked ninth nationally, marking the 15th straight edition of the rankings in which MSU has appeared in the top 25. In the ITA national singles rankings, two-time All-American Nuno Borges leads three State players at No. 3 in the nation, while Giovanni Oradini and Niclas Braun are ranked 80th and 82nd, respectively. State boasts a pair of ranked doubles tandems in sixth-ranked Braun and Giovanni Oradini and No. 11 Borges and Strahinja Rakic.
Know The Foe: Oklahoma
Oklahoma enters Saturday's match with a 7-2 mark on the year and riding a two-match win streak after defeating Arkansas 5-2 on Feb. 16. Spencer Papa, ranked No. 61 in the nation, is the lone ranked Sooner in singles.
Need To Know …
Live Scoring/Video
Both live video and live scoring will be available for MSU's match against Oklahoma at the USTA National Campus.
Last Time Out For MSU …
Mississippi State is coming off a 4-2 win against No. 11 Notre Dame that halted a two-match skid at the 2019 ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Chicago. State took an early 1-0 lead by taking a tightly-contested doubles point against the Fighting Irish, and continued that momentum into singles, where it claimed four first sets. Straight-set wins by Nuno Borges and Florian Broska, along with an exciting three-set comeback victory by Giovanni Oradini to clinch, propelled the Bulldogs past the Irish.
Next Up For MSU …
Following Saturday's match vs. Oklahoma, the Bulldogs return to the friendly confines of the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre for the first time in nearly a month to open 2019 SEC action. The Bulldogs will look to continue their 19-match home winning streak dating back to 2017, taking on No. 25 Vanderbilt (March 1, 3 p.m. CT) and No. 49 Kentucky (March 3, 1 p.m.). Admission to both matches, and all home tennis matches is free.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
STARKVILLE – After taking on three top-15 opponents at the 2019 ITA National Team Indoor Championship last weekend, the road does not get any easier for the No. 9 Mississippi State men's tennis team.
Coming off a 4-2 win over No. 11 Notre Dame to conclude the ITA Indoors, the Bulldogs (7-2) travel to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida – also the final site of the 2019 NCAA Championships - for a key neutral-site showdown with No. 21 Oklahoma (7-2). The match is part of the USTA National Campus' Collegiate Series, and admission is free.
"We're ready to compete at the USTA National Campus, where the NCAA will host the final site in May," head coach Matt Roberts said. "Oklahoma has a great team and we see this as a great opportunity to prepare us for upcoming outdoor matches to start the SEC season, as well as the matches at the end of the season if we advance to the final site. We have enjoyed being on the road this month, which gives us a lot of time together. During this time, we've been focusing on the root and not the fruit, and that's what our team is all about. This last road trip will be another great opportunity to build as a team and focus on this process together."
MSU In The Oracle ITA Rankings …
The Bulldogs are currently ranked ninth nationally, marking the 15th straight edition of the rankings in which MSU has appeared in the top 25. In the ITA national singles rankings, two-time All-American Nuno Borges leads three State players at No. 3 in the nation, while Giovanni Oradini and Niclas Braun are ranked 80th and 82nd, respectively. State boasts a pair of ranked doubles tandems in sixth-ranked Braun and Giovanni Oradini and No. 11 Borges and Strahinja Rakic.
Know The Foe: Oklahoma
Oklahoma enters Saturday's match with a 7-2 mark on the year and riding a two-match win streak after defeating Arkansas 5-2 on Feb. 16. Spencer Papa, ranked No. 61 in the nation, is the lone ranked Sooner in singles.
Need To Know …
- Mississippi State is playing its 95th season of men's tennis, with Matt Roberts in his fifth season at the helm.
- MSU's No. 9 national ranking marks the 15th straight week the Bulldogs appeared in the top 25 of the Oracle ITA Rankings.
- The Bulldogs are 1-2 in the series against Oklahoma, with the last meeting coming in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Team Championship in Norman.
- Reigning SEC Player of the Week Nuno Borges is currently tied for fourth all-time at MSU in career singles wins (98) and in total dual match wins (106), while being tied for third in dual match singles triumphs (63).
- Borges and Strahinja Rakic are second all-time in career wins by a doubles pair (43), while Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini are tied for sixth (36).
- Niclas Braun is currently tied for sixth in career doubles wins (78) and seventh in dual match doubles wins (48) at MSU.
Live Scoring/Video
Both live video and live scoring will be available for MSU's match against Oklahoma at the USTA National Campus.
Last Time Out For MSU …
Mississippi State is coming off a 4-2 win against No. 11 Notre Dame that halted a two-match skid at the 2019 ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Chicago. State took an early 1-0 lead by taking a tightly-contested doubles point against the Fighting Irish, and continued that momentum into singles, where it claimed four first sets. Straight-set wins by Nuno Borges and Florian Broska, along with an exciting three-set comeback victory by Giovanni Oradini to clinch, propelled the Bulldogs past the Irish.
Next Up For MSU …
Following Saturday's match vs. Oklahoma, the Bulldogs return to the friendly confines of the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre for the first time in nearly a month to open 2019 SEC action. The Bulldogs will look to continue their 19-match home winning streak dating back to 2017, taking on No. 25 Vanderbilt (March 1, 3 p.m. CT) and No. 49 Kentucky (March 3, 1 p.m.). Admission to both matches, and all home tennis matches is free.
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 | 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