Mississippi State
Arizona State
No. 38 MSU Women’s Tennis Set To Battle No. 31 Arizona State In NCAA First Round Friday
May 06, 2021 | Women's Tennis
AUSTIN, Texas – The 38th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis squad (11-12) will open play in the 2021 NCAA Team Championship on Friday, May 7, as the Bulldogs will battle No. 31 Arizona State (14-8) at the Texas Tennis Center on the University of Texas campus. Match time is slated for 12 p.m. CT.
"We are excited to be back in the NCAA Tournament. It is one of our measurable goals every season," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "I am proud of the effort and commitment this team put forth to qualify. It has been a strange season with the pandemic, and I am thankful we were able to safely play every match on our schedule. We are definitely battle-tested by a strong SEC schedule. We look forward to our match against a quality team like Arizona State on Friday."
The Bulldogs have now earned a bid to the to the NCAA Team Championship nine times in program history, including five times in the last six seasons in which the tournament has been held. In its previous eight appearances, MSU is 6-8 overall and has advanced to the second round six times.
Live Video/Scoring
Live video and live stats of Friday's first round match will be provided, courtesy of Texas.
Bulldog Notes
State is ranked 38th nationally in this week's latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association national poll (May 5). Emma Antonaki represents the Bulldogs in the ITA singles rankings at No. 33 in the country. In doubles, Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine are currently the nation's 26th-ranked duo.
MSU owns a 30-27 record in doubles dual match play overall this season as well as an impressive 64-47 mark in singles, with Antonaki and Adaloglou pacing the team. Antonaki owns a team-leading 14 dual match wins (14-4), while Adaloglou is 11-4. The 2021 First Team All-SEC selection Antonaki has claimed 20 of her last 24 singles outings, dating back to last season.
True freshman Chloé Cirotte has been excellent in her first semester in the Maroon and White, going 10-5 in dual match competition. Alexandra Mikhailuk has notched 10 victories, Racine has tallied seven, and Marta Falceto and Lilian Poling own five each in team action for State as well.
Know the Foe
Arizona State enters Friday's match with a 14-8 ledger and went 6-3 in the Pac-12 this spring. The Sun Devils are led by 84th-ranked Ilze Hattingh in singles, who is 10-7 at the top position in the lineup. In doubles, Hattingh pairs with Lauryn John-Baptiste to form the Sun Devils' No. 1 duo. The tandem owns an 8-8 record this season.
The MSU and ASU women's tennis programs have met only once before – on March 16, 2000, in Tempe, Arizona, where Arizona State claimed a 6-0 home victory over the Bulldogs.
Last Time Out
As the No. 13 seed in the SEC Championship in April, MSU faced a rematch with tournament host and 12th-seeded Alabama in the first round. The Bulldogs claimed a thrilling 4-3 decision over the homestanding Crimson Tide to advance to the second round and face No. 15 Tennessee. State put up its best fight but fell to the Volunteers in a 4-0 decision.
Next Up For MSU
If the Bulldogs defeat the Sun Devils in the first round of the NCAA Championship Friday, State will move on to the second round on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT, where they would take on the winner between No. 2 national seed and weekend host Texas and Denver. Those squads will meet in the other first round matchup in Austin on Friday at 3 p.m. CT.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
