No. 15 MSU Men’s Tennis Set For Road Battle Against No. 35 Alabama

Friday, April 2

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Alabama

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

No. 15 MSU Men’s Tennis Set For Road Battle Against No. 35 Alabama

April 01, 2021 | Men's Tennis

Live Video/Stats

By: Graham Murphree, Graduate Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE – In its second SEC road battle in as many matches, the No. 15 Mississippi State men's tennis is set for a showdown with No. 35 Alabama Friday in Tuscaloosa. Match time between the Bulldogs (12-6, 2-5 SEC) and Crimson Tide (11-8, 2-5 SEC) is slated for 6 p.m. at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium.

Live Video/Stats
Live Video and Stats will be available the match, courtesy of Alabama.

MSU In The Oracle ITA Rankings…
The Bulldogs are currently ranked 15th nationally as a team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in this week's latest poll (March 30). In the ITA national singles rankings, State is led by veteran Florian Broska at No. 45 in the country. Up next with his highest ranking of his young Bulldog career, Davide Tortora comes in at No. 49. Following right behind is senior and two-time All-American Giovanni Oradini at No. 51 nationally in singles. Rounding at the rankings, true freshman Nemanja Malesevic leads the next generation of Bulldogs at No. 71 in the country. In doubles, the Bulldogs' top duo of Broska and Gregor Ramskogler check in as the nation's 52^nd-ranked tandem.

Know The Foe: Alabama
Alabama will enter Friday's match with an 11-8 overall mark, while holding a 2-5 league record. The Crimson Tide had its last two matches postponed. Prior to that, UA split two home affairs with Middle Tennessee (W, 4-3) and Memphis (L, 4-3).

Alabama is currently ranked No. 35 in the nation as a team with three players in the ITA singles rankings and one doubles duo in the ITA doubles rankings. In singles, UA is led by Edson Ortiz at No. 74 in the country. Next up, as the nation's No. 101 player, is Zhe Zhou. Rounding out the Tide's singles rankings is Patrick Kaukovalta at No. 113. Alabama currently has the nation's 25^th-ranked doubles duo in Kaukovalta and Riccardo Roberto.

The Bulldogs currently hold a 35-24 all-time record against Alabama in the series (since 1969). The Maroon and White has claimed the last 10 consecutive matches versus the Crimson Tide. In the most recent clash, State posted a 4-1 victory over UA in Starkville on March 14, 2019.

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 12-6 overall, 2-5 in the SEC.
MSU is currently ranked 15th nationally as a team by the ITA in this week's poll.
State's six losses this season have all come to current Top 11 teams – No. 1 Florida, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 8 TCU, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 11 Georgia.
Under head coach Matt Roberts, MSU is 127-45 overall in his seven seasons at the helm of the Bulldogs.
Roberts is 74-13 at home, 11-3 in 2021.
True freshman Nemanja Malesevic leads the Maroon and White in overall wins (28) in 2020-21.
Malesevic, Florian Broska, Alberto Colas and Gregor Ramskogler are all tied for MSU's lead in total dual match victories (18) thus far this spring.
Davide Tortora remains the lone undefeated Bulldog (now 7-0) in dual match singles play this spring. He is 10-1 when including doubles.
True freshman Carles Hernandez sits at 12-5 in singles this season and has clinched two key MSU victories – 4-3 wins over No. 38 LSU and No. 14 South Carolina.

Last Time Out…
In their most recent outing this past Sunday, the Bulldogs dropped a 5-2 affair to No. 9 Ole Miss in Oxford. Posting wins for the Bulldogs were Carles Hernandez and Davide Tortora.

Next Up For MSU…
Following Friday's affair with Alabama, the Bulldogs will return home to host Auburn this Sunday, April 4. Match time is slated for 1 p.m. MSU seniors Giovanni Oradini and Stedman Strickland will be honored prior to the contest.

For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.