SEC Teams Invade Starkville For ITA Kickoff

Saturday, January 29

Starkville

1 p.m.

Mississippi State

Arkansas

Carles Hernandez Middle Tennessee 1-23-22

Photo by: Sloane Bush/MSU Athletics

SEC Teams Invade Starkville For ITA Kickoff

January 28, 2022 | Men's Tennis

Live Video/ Stats ITA Kickoff Tournament Supplement

By: Logan Lowery, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – For the second time in the past three seasons, Mississippi State will be the host site for the ITA Kickoff Weekend.

And although this weekend is technically a non-conference tournament, it has plenty of Southeastern Conference flair with all four participants hailing from the league with Alabama, Arkansas and No. 11 Kentucky invading the Rula Tennis Pavilion.

The Crimson Tide and Wildcats start things off at 10 a.m. on Saturday followed by the Bulldogs' matchup with the Razorbacks no earlier than 1 p.m. The two losing teams will play a consolation match at 10 a.m. on Sunday and the winners will meet around 1 p.m.

The winner of the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Starkville as well as the 15 other sites around the country will advance on to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Seattle, Washington on Feb. 18-21.

Matt Roberts' MSU squad enters the event at 2-0 having swept a doubleheader against Middle Tennessee (5-2) and UAB (6-1) this past Sunday. No. 22 Florian Broska headlines the Bulldogs' roster having won six straight singles matches dating back to the fall, including a 6-7(3), 6-1, 6-4 victory over 30^th-ranked Stijn Slump of Middle Tennessee to open the spring season.

Broska and his doubles partner Gregor Ramskogler also earned a 6-1 ranked win over the Blue Raiders' No. 44 tandem of Slump and Pavel Motl while true freshman Bautista Vilicich began his collegiate career with an upset victory against No. 106 Stepan Holis of MTSU 6-2, 6-4.

Arkansas rolls into town with a perfect 5-0 ledger with home wins over Oklahoma State, Omaha (twice) and Illinois State (twice). The Hogs swept the Redbirds 7-0, 6-1 in a doubleheader this past Sunday for their most recent wins.

Arkansas is coached by Andy Jackson, who served in the same capacity as Mississippi State's men's coach from 1989-2001 and tops the Bulldogs' all-time wins list with 220 victories. The Razorbacks feature two ranked singles – Aleksa Bucan (25) and Alex Reco (102) – as well as the No. 36 doubles team of Adrien Burdet and Melvin Manuel.

MSU is 32-7 all-time against Arkansas, including a 14-4 record at home. The Bulldogs have won 13-straight in the series – which is the longest such streak in the series – and claimed a 4-0 victory last spring.

The Hogs last win against State came in 2008.

Alabama is 2-1 on the year, having dropped a 4-3 decision at No. 18 Ole Miss last weekend. The Tide roster is headlined by No. 83 Filip Palinsek.

The Bulldogs are 36-25 all-time against Alabama and 17-12 at home in the series. The two teams split last season with the Crimson Tide claiming a 5-2 win in Tuscaloosa during the regular season and Mississippi State earning a 4-1 victory at the SEC Tournament in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Some of MSU and Alabama's players also met during the fall at the Bulldog Invitational.

Kentucky is out to a 4-0 start having shut out Dayton (twice), Louisville and Northern Kentucky. The Wildcats won 4-0 over the Norse in Crestview Hills, Kentucky last Saturday.

Highlighting UK's roster is No. 4 Gabriel Diallo, No. 45 Francois Musitelli, No. 90 Josh Lapadat and No. 122 Yasha Zemel as well as the 34^th-ranked doubles tandem of Lapadat and JJ Mercer.

The Wildcats lead the overall series against State 30-24 but the Bulldogs have a 14-7 advantage at home. Kentucky snapped a six-match losing skid to Mississippi State last spring with a 4-0 victory in Lexington.

For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.