Bulldogs Topple Alabama State 7-0 & 4-0 In Saturday Doubleheader

Saturday, February 2

Starkville

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

Alcorn State

For the second Saturday in a row, Mississippi State’s women’s tennis team (6-2) posted a doubleheader sweep.

Bulldogs Topple Alabama State 7-0 & 4-0 In Saturday Doubleheader

February 09, 2019 | Women's Tennis

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by Emily Pschigoda, Student Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the second Saturday in a row, Mississippi State's women's tennis team (6-2) posted a doubleheader sweep. Despite frigid morning temperatures, the Bulldogs bested Alabama State (1-4) 7-0 in the opening match and 4-0 in the sequel at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

"We've been doing good things in practice the last couple weeks and making some adjustments," said head coach Daryl Greenan. "I felt like we were going to get a bigger challenge than last weekend, and we did. I like the way the girls handled it. I think we handled it well overall, and we played pretty solid."

Match 1 – Mississippi State 7, Alabama State 0

In a match that featured an inspired finish, State swept the Hornets in a 7-0 decision to open Saturday's twinbill. Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine clinched the doubles point for State by downing ASU's Worthy Goldman and Chloe Kabamba 6-1 on court 1. The Bulldogs also bested ASU on courts 2 and 3 to make MSU 9-0 in doubles matches in the last three contests.

In singles, the Bulldogs found success on all six courts, improving to outscore opponents 18-0 at home in 2019. The rookie Emma Antonaki finished swiftly on court 2 with a 6-1, 6-0 decision over ASU's Kabamba. Sara Lizariturry cruised past Urska Velec 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5. Clinching the match for the Bulldogs, Racine bested Alabama State's Gabriela Lackova 6-3, 6-3 in the fourth position.

Senior captain Anastasia Rentouli defeated Lea Krajcovicova 6-4, 6-2 on court 3 to extended her win streak to seven contests. Fellow senior Janina Braun then completed a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-3 triumph over ASU's Worthy Goldman at No. 6.

On the top court, State's 98th-ranked Adaloglou quickly took the first set 6-3, then dropped the second 6-4 to force a 10-point tiebreak to decide her match with Hornet Reka Szentes. After falling behind 9-5 in the tiebreak, the sophomore dug deep to win seven of the final eight points to take the match 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(10). Adaloglou's come-from-behind triumph solidified the Bulldogs' 7-0 sweep of the Hornets.

Match 2 – Mississippi State 4, Alabama State 0

The second match of Saturday's doubleheader started with singles and doubles was not contested. The Bulldogs downed the Hornets 4-0 to earn the program's 34th straight non-conference win in Starkville.

State's Adaloglou burned through Kabamba 6-1, 6-0 on court 1 in the opening singles match to quickly put MSU up 1-0. Rentouli then downed Velec 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3, while Lizariturry toppled Marija Blazevich impressively with her second 6-1, 6-0 decision of the day on court 5. The Bulldogs' Antonaki then clinched the match via a 6-1, 6-3 decision over ASU's Szentes on court 2.

The remaining matches were suspended at the clincher. All seven Bulldogs now how multi-match, active win streaks.

Next Up For MSU…
Continuing State's three-match weekend, UAB comes to town on Sunday (Feb. 10) for a 12 p.m. CT matchup at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. In the series, MSU leads the Blazers 25-3 and 14-2 in Starkville. The Bulldogs will look to improve their current 15-match win streak over the Blazers.

Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State women's tennis program, follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Mississippi State 7, Alabama State 0
Feb. 9, 2019
Starkville, Miss. - A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre

Doubles
1. Adaloglou/Racine (MSU) def. Worthy Goldman/Chloe Kabamba (ASU) 6-1
2. Emma Antonaki/Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) def. Urska Velec/Reka Szentes (ASU) 6-3
3. Janina Braun/Sara Lizariturry (MSU) def. Lea Krajcovicova/Gabriela Lackova (ASU) 7-6(2)
Order of finish: 2,1,3

Singles
1. No. 98 Adaloglou (MSU) def. Szentes (ASU) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0(10)
2. No. 82 Antonaki (MSU) def. Kabamba (ASU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Rentouli (MSU) def. Krajcovicova (ASU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Racine (MSU) def. Lackova (ASU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Lizariturry (MSU) def. Velec (ASU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Braun (MSU) def. Goldman (ASU) 7-6(5), 6-3
Order of finish: 2,5,4,3,6,1

Mississippi State 4, Alabama State 0
Feb. 9, 2019
Starkville, Miss. - A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre

Singles
1. No. 98 Adaloglou (MSU) def. Kabamba (ASU) 6-1, 6-0
2. No. 82 Antonaki (MSU) def. Szentes (ASU) 6-1, 6-3
3. Rentouli (MSU) def. Velec (ASU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Racine (MSU) vs. Goldman (ASU) 6-1, 5-1 (susp.)
5. Lizariturry (MSU) def. Blazevich (ASU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Meredith Roberts (MSU) vs. Maria Popova (ASU) 4-6, 2-0 (susp.)
Order of finish: 1,3,5,2

Doubles
Not contested