No. 39 MSU Women’s Tennis Ousts No. 41 Host Alabama 4-3; Moves Into Second Round Of SEC Championship

Monday, April 19

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

Alabama

No. 39 MSU Women’s Tennis Ousts No. 41 Host Alabama 4-3; Moves Into Second Round Of SEC Championship

April 19, 2021 | Women's Tennis

By: Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 39^th-ranked and 13^th-seeded Mississippi State women's tennis team rallied from dropping a close doubles point to claim an exciting 4-3 victory over 41st-ranked and 12^th-seeded host Alabama to open the 2021 SEC Championship at the Alabama Tennis Stadium Monday afternoon.

With the victory, the Bulldogs advance to the second round of the tournament to face fifth-seeded and 15th-ranked Tennessee on Tuesday, April 20, at Noon CT. In the teams' only meeting this season, State claimed a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Volunteers in Starkville on February 26. MSU has claimed the last two clashes with UT, as well as seven of the last nine.

"I am proud of our effort today," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "In fact, I am proud of the way this team has kept their heads up and worked hard every week through this whole season, win or lose. We expected a battle, and we got it. It would not have been possible without the collective effort and resiliency these girls have displayed the last month."

State improved to 11-11, while the Crimson Tide dropped to 12-12. MSU has claimed six of the last seven meetings with Alabama, including both meetings this season which have both come in 4-3 victories for the Bulldogs in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama earned an early 1-0 lead after claiming a tight doubles point. On court 1, MSU's 18th-ranked Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine rolled past UA's 74^th-ranked duo of Loudmilla Bencheikh and Moka Ito 6-0 to notch the first victory of the day. The triumph marked the fourth ranked win for State's duo this season. For the veteran Adaloglou, it was her 123^rd career triumph overall and moved her into a tie for sixth place all-time at State, matching Jasmine Lee (123; 2015-17).

But Alabama would take the other two courts for the early 1-0 lead. The Crimson Tide's Anna Parkhomenko and Alba Cortina Pou jumped ahead 5-0 over Chloé Cirotte and Alexandra Mikhailuk, but the Bulldog pair fought back with four-straight games to come within one at 5-4. Parkhomenko and Cortina Pou served out the last game for a 6-4 win to hold off the MSU charge. Court 2 then entered a tiebreaker to decide the doubles point. 'Bama's Anne Marie Hiser and Sydney Riley slipped past State's Emma Antonaki and Marta Falceto 7-6(5).

The Bulldogs were unphased after dropping that point, grabbing four first sets in singles to regain the momentum. And State would register straight-set triumphs on all four of those courts to ultimately pull out the thrilling victory.

MSU's Racine carried her success in doubles into singles, as she ousted Alabama's Ito 6-3, 6-3 on court 3 to even the score at 1-1. The MSU true freshman Cirotte followed suit, giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on court 6 over the Crimson Tide's Riley.

Alabama's Cortina Pou knotted the match at 2-2 with a 6-4, 6-1 win over MSU's Adaloglou on court 2.

MSU regained the lead when the 27th-ranked Antonaki held off Alabama's Bencheikh 6-4, 7-6(5) at the top position in the lineup. The victory marked Antonaki's 20th win in her last 24 matches.

The Tide's Parkhomenko then completed a 7-5, 6-3 victory over State's Poling at the No. 4 spot, evening the match at 3-3 and turning all eyes to court 5 where the match would be decided.

There, MSU's Mikhailuk had rolled past 'Bama's Hiser in the first set 6-1 before the two players got engulfed in a very tight second frame. Down 3-0 in the second, Mikhailuk claimed four consecutive games to move ahead 4-3. Hiser then went up a break at 5-4 – and 40-0 – before the second-year Bulldog won four straight points to break back and eventually send the set to a tiebreaker.

Once in the breaker, the two players traded blows throughout, with each having multiple chances to take it down the stretch. Twenty-four points would ultimately be played to decide the tiebreaker with Mikhailuk finally ousting Hiser 6-1, 7-6(11). In all, the Burlington, Ontario, Canada, native fought off eight set points from Hiser before finally claiming the set and the match on her third set point.

"In the end, Alex did an incredible job staying solid against an opponent who started hitting winners everywhere," Greenan continued. "It was a spectacular tiebreaker and an exciting end to another great SEC match."

For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

#39 Mississippi State 4, #41 Alabama 3
2021 SEC Championship – First Round
April 19, 2021
Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Alabama Tennis Stadium

Doubles
1. #18 Magda Adaloglou/Tamara Racine (MSU) def. #74 Loudmilla Bencheikh/Moka Ito (UA) 6-0
2. Anne Marie Hiser/Sydney Riley (UA) def. Emma Antonaki/Marta Falceto (MSU) 7-6(5)
3. Alba Cortina Pou/Anna Parkhomenko (UA) def. Chloé Cirotte/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) 6-4
Order of finish: 1,3,2

Singles
1. #27 Emma Antonaki (MSU) def. Loudmilla Bencheikh (UA) 6-4, 7-6(5)
2. Alba Cortina Pou (UA) def. Magda Adaloglou (MSU) 6-4, 6-1
3. Tamara Racine (MSU) def. Moka Ito (UA) 6-3, 6-3
4. Anna Parkhomenko (UA) def. Lilian Poling (MSU) 7-5, 6-3
5. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Anne Marie Hiser (UA) 6-1, 7-6(11)
6. Chloe Cirotte (MSU) def. Sydney Riley (UA) 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 3,6,2,1,4,5