Friday, March 12
Starkville
3:00 PM
Mississippi State
vs
South Carolina
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
No. 24 Bulldogs Set To Host No. 14 Gamecocks Friday In Top 25 Battle
March 11, 2021 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – With the weekend approaching, the 24th-ranked MSU men's tennis team has eyes set on its next SEC battle, which will come against No. 14 South Carolina on Friday afternoon. Match time between the Bulldogs (10-4, 1-3 SEC) and Gamecocks (8-4, 4-2 SEC) is slated for 3 p.m. Friday at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Admission is free to all MSU home matches.
2021 MSU Tennis COVID/Attendance Protocols
In conjunction with current COVID protocols established by the most recent Governor's Executive Order, fans may attend Friday's match at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, with seating allowed in designated areas only. Continuing MSU and SEC COVID protocols, face coverings over the nose and mouth shall be required as a condition of all guest during ingress, egress, and movement throughout the stadium, as well as any time guests are unable to maintain the recommended physical distance from others who are not in their same household or when actively eating or drinking. For all COVID/attendance protocols for 2021 MSU Tennis home matches, please visit www.HailState.com/gameday.
Live Video/Stats
Fans can follow home men's tennis action live all season long at HailState.com/livemt.
MSU In The Oracle ITA Rankings…
The Bulldogs are currently ranked 24th nationally as a team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in this week's latest poll (March 10). In the ITA national singles rankings, State is led by senior and two-time All-American Giovanni Oradini at No. 36 in the country. Following right behind is veteran Florian Broska at No. 87 nationally in singles. In doubles, the Bulldogs have two duos currently ranked with Broska and freshman Nicolas Ocana earning the nation's No. 28 spot. Rounding out the rankings is the duo of Alberto Colas and Gregor Ramskogler, coming in at 47th nationally.
Know The Foe: South Carolina
No. 14 South Carolina will enter Friday's match with an 8-4 overall mark, 4-2 in SEC play, after winning a big conference battle 4-2 over No. 14 Georgia this past Sunday. All of the Gamecocks' setbacks this season have come to current Top 12 teams, including two in the Top 5.
The Gamecocks are led by Daniel Rodrigues, who is currently ranked 32nd nationally in singles and maintains the No. 1 position on the squad. Raphael Lambling holds the nation's 81st-ranked slot, while USC's Connor Thomson comes in at No. 118. In doubles, Rodrigues teams up with Thomson to form the country's 44th-ranked duo while Lambling and Phillip Jordan come in at 59th.
The Bulldogs currently hold a 22-11 all-time record against South Carolina in the series. The Bulldogs have claimed the last four meetings with the Gamecocks (and 10 of the last 11), with the most recent being a 4-2 victory in Gainesville, Florida, in the 2019 SEC Championship semifinals. The teams have not met in Starkville since the 2018 campaign.
Need To Know…
Mississippi State Athletics is holding a water drive Friday through Sunday, to benefit Jackson, Mississippi-area residents impacted by the community's water shortage and boil notice following recent winter storms.
MSU will collect bottled water at the Barnes & Noble parking lot on campus the following days and times:
Friday, March 12 – 3 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 14 – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Other Mississippi institutions are also participating in donation efforts as part of the "Stronger Together" initiative. The initiative launched in September 2020 to unite the state's athletics programs and communities in support of togetherness, diversity and equality.
Last Time Out…
In their most recent outing, the Bulldogs notched a 4-3 win over No. 38 LSU Sunday in Starkville. After LSU took the doubles point, the teams split first sets in singles. The teams would battle on all six courts until the score was even at 3-3, with all eyes then turning to court 4 where an all-freshman clash between Bulldog Carles Hernandez and Tiger Joao Graca would determine the match. After dropping the first set 6-3, Hernandez would stay poised, holding serve on a critical deciding point at 4-4 in the second set. The Bulldog rookie then broke Garca to take the second set and send the match to a deciding third. Hernandez then quickly established a 3-0 third-set lead - that he would never relinquish - going on to claim the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and clinch the thrilling team win for State.
Next Up For MSU…
Following Friday's affair with No. 14 South Carolina, the Bulldogs will continue their current five-match homestand this Sunday, March 14, hosting No. 7 Florida in a Noon showdown.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2021 MSU Tennis COVID/Attendance Protocols
In conjunction with current COVID protocols established by the most recent Governor's Executive Order, fans may attend Friday's match at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, with seating allowed in designated areas only. Continuing MSU and SEC COVID protocols, face coverings over the nose and mouth shall be required as a condition of all guest during ingress, egress, and movement throughout the stadium, as well as any time guests are unable to maintain the recommended physical distance from others who are not in their same household or when actively eating or drinking. For all COVID/attendance protocols for 2021 MSU Tennis home matches, please visit www.HailState.com/gameday.
Live Video/Stats
Fans can follow home men's tennis action live all season long at HailState.com/livemt.
MSU In The Oracle ITA Rankings…
The Bulldogs are currently ranked 24th nationally as a team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in this week's latest poll (March 10). In the ITA national singles rankings, State is led by senior and two-time All-American Giovanni Oradini at No. 36 in the country. Following right behind is veteran Florian Broska at No. 87 nationally in singles. In doubles, the Bulldogs have two duos currently ranked with Broska and freshman Nicolas Ocana earning the nation's No. 28 spot. Rounding out the rankings is the duo of Alberto Colas and Gregor Ramskogler, coming in at 47th nationally.
Know The Foe: South Carolina
No. 14 South Carolina will enter Friday's match with an 8-4 overall mark, 4-2 in SEC play, after winning a big conference battle 4-2 over No. 14 Georgia this past Sunday. All of the Gamecocks' setbacks this season have come to current Top 12 teams, including two in the Top 5.
The Gamecocks are led by Daniel Rodrigues, who is currently ranked 32nd nationally in singles and maintains the No. 1 position on the squad. Raphael Lambling holds the nation's 81st-ranked slot, while USC's Connor Thomson comes in at No. 118. In doubles, Rodrigues teams up with Thomson to form the country's 44th-ranked duo while Lambling and Phillip Jordan come in at 59th.
The Bulldogs currently hold a 22-11 all-time record against South Carolina in the series. The Bulldogs have claimed the last four meetings with the Gamecocks (and 10 of the last 11), with the most recent being a 4-2 victory in Gainesville, Florida, in the 2019 SEC Championship semifinals. The teams have not met in Starkville since the 2018 campaign.
Need To Know…
- Mississippi State is playing its 98th season of men's tennis, with Matt Roberts in his seventh season at the helm.
- The Bulldogs sit at 10-4 overall, 1-3 SEC, after clinching a 4-3 home win this past Sunday against No. 38 LSU.
- MSU is currently ranked 24th nationally as a team by the ITA in this week's poll.
- State's four losses this season have all come to current Top 20 teams – No. 4 Tennessee, No. 5 TCU, No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 20 Georgia.
- Under head coach Matt Roberts, MSU is 125-43 overall in his seven seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs.
- Roberts is 72-12 at home, 9-2 in 2021.
- Alberto Colas leads the Maroon and White in total (26) an dual match (17) victories thus far on the season.
- True freshman Carles Hernandez sits at 9-4 in singles this season after clinching State's 4-3 victory this past Sunday against LSU.
Mississippi State Athletics is holding a water drive Friday through Sunday, to benefit Jackson, Mississippi-area residents impacted by the community's water shortage and boil notice following recent winter storms.
MSU will collect bottled water at the Barnes & Noble parking lot on campus the following days and times:
Friday, March 12 – 3 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 13 – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 14 – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Other Mississippi institutions are also participating in donation efforts as part of the "Stronger Together" initiative. The initiative launched in September 2020 to unite the state's athletics programs and communities in support of togetherness, diversity and equality.
Last Time Out…
In their most recent outing, the Bulldogs notched a 4-3 win over No. 38 LSU Sunday in Starkville. After LSU took the doubles point, the teams split first sets in singles. The teams would battle on all six courts until the score was even at 3-3, with all eyes then turning to court 4 where an all-freshman clash between Bulldog Carles Hernandez and Tiger Joao Graca would determine the match. After dropping the first set 6-3, Hernandez would stay poised, holding serve on a critical deciding point at 4-4 in the second set. The Bulldog rookie then broke Garca to take the second set and send the match to a deciding third. Hernandez then quickly established a 3-0 third-set lead - that he would never relinquish - going on to claim the match 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and clinch the thrilling team win for State.
Next Up For MSU…
Following Friday's affair with No. 14 South Carolina, the Bulldogs will continue their current five-match homestand this Sunday, March 14, hosting No. 7 Florida in a Noon showdown.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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