Saturday, May 8
Orlando, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
10:00 AM
Mississippi State
vs
Miami
Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
No. 16 Men’s Tennis Set For Battle With Miami In NCAA First Round Saturday
May 07, 2021 | Men's Tennis
ORLANDO, Florida – Focused, eager and determined are a few words to describe the 16th-ranked Mississippi State men's team (16-9) as it opens play in the 2021 NCAA Team Championship on Saturday, May 8. The Bulldogs will battle No. 39 Miami (8-10) at the USTA National Campus here Saturday morning at 10 a.m. CT. It will be the first-ever meeting between the teams in the NCAA Team Championship.
Live Video/Stats
Live video and live stats of Saturday's first round match will be provided, courtesy of UCF.
MSU In The Oracle ITA Rankings…
The Bulldogs are currently ranked 16th nationally as a team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in the latest poll (May 5). In the ITA national singles rankings, State is led by two-time All-American Giovanni Oradini at No. 20 in the country. Up next is veteran Florian Broska at No. 48 nationally. Following right behind, true freshman Nemanja Malesevic leads the next generation of Bulldogs at No. 53 in the country. After him is Davide Tortora checking in at No. 74 and rounding out the singles rankings for State is Alberto Colas at No. 121. In doubles, the Bulldogs' top duo of Broska and Gregor Ramskogler checks in as the nation's 15th-ranked tandem, the highest of the duo's career.
Know The Foe: Miami
Miami, ranked 39th nationally as a team, enters Saturday's match with an 8-10 ledger this season. The Hurricanes are led by 42nd-ranked Adria Soriano Barera in the national singles rankings. In doubles, Miami is paced by the country's 31st-ranked duo of Franco Auone and Benjamin Hannestad.
The Bulldogs currently hold a 9-4 record against the Hurricanes (since 1969). The Maroon and White has claimed the last four meetings between the two programs (and eight of the last nine), with the last being a 4-2 Bulldog victory in Fort Myers, Fla., on Feb. 2, 2020.
Need To Know…
MSU closed out the 2021 SEC Championship with an emotional 4-2 quarterfinal setback to No. 1 Florida on April 21. The Bulldogs would collect the doubles point, as well as the top singles court with Oradini taking down the nation's No. 3 player in Duarte Vale.
Next Up For MSU…
If the Bulldogs defeat the Hurricanes in the first round of the NCAA Championship Saturday, State will move on the second round on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT, where they would take on the winner between No. 9 national seed/weekend host UCF and Monmouth. Those squads will meet in the other first round matchup in Orlando on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Live Video/Stats
Live video and live stats of Saturday's first round match will be provided, courtesy of UCF.
MSU In The Oracle ITA Rankings…
The Bulldogs are currently ranked 16th nationally as a team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in the latest poll (May 5). In the ITA national singles rankings, State is led by two-time All-American Giovanni Oradini at No. 20 in the country. Up next is veteran Florian Broska at No. 48 nationally. Following right behind, true freshman Nemanja Malesevic leads the next generation of Bulldogs at No. 53 in the country. After him is Davide Tortora checking in at No. 74 and rounding out the singles rankings for State is Alberto Colas at No. 121. In doubles, the Bulldogs' top duo of Broska and Gregor Ramskogler checks in as the nation's 15th-ranked tandem, the highest of the duo's career.
Know The Foe: Miami
Miami, ranked 39th nationally as a team, enters Saturday's match with an 8-10 ledger this season. The Hurricanes are led by 42nd-ranked Adria Soriano Barera in the national singles rankings. In doubles, Miami is paced by the country's 31st-ranked duo of Franco Auone and Benjamin Hannestad.
The Bulldogs currently hold a 9-4 record against the Hurricanes (since 1969). The Maroon and White has claimed the last four meetings between the two programs (and eight of the last nine), with the last being a 4-2 Bulldog victory in Fort Myers, Fla., on Feb. 2, 2020.
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 16-9 overall.
- MSU is currently ranked 16th nationally as a team by the ITA in the latest poll (May 5).
- The Bulldogs are making their 29th appearance in the NCAA Championship, their 10th in a row.
- MSU is 29-24 in the NCAA Team Championship in its 24 (1991-2005, 2011-19) previous appearances. State also made four trips to the NCAAs under legendary head coach Tom Sawyer when it was a flighted individual draw. MSU finished 8th in 1965, t3rd in both 1966 and 1967, and t13th in 1968.
- The Bulldogs are one of only 16 teams to have been selected for the NCAA Team Championship field in at least 25 of the last 30 seasons (1991-2021...no tourney in 2020 due to COVID-19). Six of those teams are SEC members.
- Under Roberts in the NCAA Championship, the Bulldogs are 9-5 in five previous trips, including two Round of 16 showings (2016, 2019) and one quarterfinal (2018).
- True freshman Nemanja Malesevic leads the Maroon and White in overall wins (35) in 2020-21.
- Florian Broska leads the team in overall dual match wins (27) this spring.
- Davide Tortora leads the Bulldogs with the highest win percentage in singles dual matches (7-3, .700).
- True freshman Carles Hernandez sits at 14-8 in singles this season and clinched four wins over SEC foes for State during the regular season – 4-3 wins over No. 38 LSU and No. 14 South Carolina, a 6-1 triumph over Auburn and, most recently, MSU's 4-1 victory over No. 18 Alabama in the SEC Championship.
MSU closed out the 2021 SEC Championship with an emotional 4-2 quarterfinal setback to No. 1 Florida on April 21. The Bulldogs would collect the doubles point, as well as the top singles court with Oradini taking down the nation's No. 3 player in Duarte Vale.
Next Up For MSU…
If the Bulldogs defeat the Hurricanes in the first round of the NCAA Championship Saturday, State will move on the second round on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT, where they would take on the winner between No. 9 national seed/weekend host UCF and Monmouth. Those squads will meet in the other first round matchup in Orlando on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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