Sunday, October 30
Starkville, Miss.
Mississippi State
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John Cade Invitational
Photo by: Ivy Ball/MSU Athletics
Women's Tennis Finishes Fall In Style
October 30, 2022 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women's tennis capped off the second annual John Cade Invitational with five singles victories on Sunday and finished the three-day event against Louisville, Louisiana Tech and Memphis with a tournament-best 21-10 overall record. Â
The Bulldogs wrapped things up inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Sunday by posting a 5-2 record in singles against Memphis, three of which were straight-set victories.
"We fought hard top to bottom and every match – singles or doubles – their hearts were in it and we were really happy about that," said head coach Daryl Greenan. "We won more close ones than we lost and if everyone keeps fighting the way that we're fighting then we're going to be in good shape."
Emily Surcey secured State's first win of the day in dominating fashion, downing Carlota Carreter 6-1, 6-1. Maria Rizzolo followed up with a solid 6-2, 6-4 victory against Emily Meyer while Maddie Bemisderfer finished out the tournament with a 7-6(5), 7-5 win over Micah Pierce.
Gia Cohen and Alexandra Mikhailuk fought back from tough first sets to earn two more victories for the Bulldogs. Cohen dropped her first set 6-3 to Monique Woog but bounced back with a 6-2 win in the second and edged out the match in a 7-6(6) tiebreaker.
Mikhailuk fell behind Camila Soares after a 6-2 first set but rebounded to win by the same margin in the second. The senior from Canada concluded the match with a 7-5 third set and finished the tournament with a 5-1 overall record combining singles and doubles.
One of the only blemishes on the Bulldogs' ledger on Sunday came after No. 52 Emmanouela Antonaki claimed a first set tiebreaker 7-6(6) against Aran Teixido Garcia. The Tiger senior managed to take the next two sets by a score of 6-3 to pull the upset.
Freshman Dharani Niroshan suffered Mississippi State's only other loss, falling to Miriam Grossman in a tight 6-4, 7-5 match.
Due to persistent precipitation over the final two days of the tournament, all matches were forced inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday. The two-year old facility adjacent to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre has been a godsend for Greenan, who is beginning his 14th season with the Bulldogs.
"It's great that we have this facility," Greenan said. "With the rain that we've had this weekend, we just would've been out of luck if we didn't have this facility. Having it allows us to have events like this and obviously gives us a little bit of a homecourt advantage."
The John Cade Invitational, named in honor of MSU's longtime tennis sports information director and sport administrator, was the final fall event for the Bulldogs' women's tennis program. Greenan exits the fall season pleased with the effort he saw from his team, which features six new players this year.
"There's been some pleasant surprises," Greenan said. "With so many new players, sometimes you just don't know exactly what you're going to get. But everyone is really fitting in well. They're gelling well and the culture here is really good and that always shows eventually on the scoreboard. I like what I'm seeing and we've just got to keep pushing them."
For more information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
John Cade Invitational
Pitts Tennis Centre | Rula Tennis Pavilion | Starkville, Miss.
Oct. 30, 2022
Singles
Aran Teixido Garcia (Memphis) def. #52 Emmanouela Antonaki (MSU) 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-3
Gia Cohen (MSU) def. Monique Woog (MEM) 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(6)
Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Camila Soares (Memphis) 2-6, 6-2, 7-5
Maria Rizzolo (MSU) def. Emily Meyer (Memphis) 6-2, 6-4 Â
Miriam Grosmann (Memphis) def. Dhrani Niroshan (MSU) 6-4, 7-5Â
Emily Surcey (MSU) def. Carlota Carreter (Memphis) 6-1, 6-1
Maddie Bemisderfer (MSU) def. Micah Pierce (Memphis) 7-6(5), 7-5
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The Bulldogs wrapped things up inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Sunday by posting a 5-2 record in singles against Memphis, three of which were straight-set victories.
"We fought hard top to bottom and every match – singles or doubles – their hearts were in it and we were really happy about that," said head coach Daryl Greenan. "We won more close ones than we lost and if everyone keeps fighting the way that we're fighting then we're going to be in good shape."
Emily Surcey secured State's first win of the day in dominating fashion, downing Carlota Carreter 6-1, 6-1. Maria Rizzolo followed up with a solid 6-2, 6-4 victory against Emily Meyer while Maddie Bemisderfer finished out the tournament with a 7-6(5), 7-5 win over Micah Pierce.
Gia Cohen and Alexandra Mikhailuk fought back from tough first sets to earn two more victories for the Bulldogs. Cohen dropped her first set 6-3 to Monique Woog but bounced back with a 6-2 win in the second and edged out the match in a 7-6(6) tiebreaker.
Mikhailuk fell behind Camila Soares after a 6-2 first set but rebounded to win by the same margin in the second. The senior from Canada concluded the match with a 7-5 third set and finished the tournament with a 5-1 overall record combining singles and doubles.
One of the only blemishes on the Bulldogs' ledger on Sunday came after No. 52 Emmanouela Antonaki claimed a first set tiebreaker 7-6(6) against Aran Teixido Garcia. The Tiger senior managed to take the next two sets by a score of 6-3 to pull the upset.
Freshman Dharani Niroshan suffered Mississippi State's only other loss, falling to Miriam Grossman in a tight 6-4, 7-5 match.
Due to persistent precipitation over the final two days of the tournament, all matches were forced inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Saturday and Sunday. The two-year old facility adjacent to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre has been a godsend for Greenan, who is beginning his 14th season with the Bulldogs.
"It's great that we have this facility," Greenan said. "With the rain that we've had this weekend, we just would've been out of luck if we didn't have this facility. Having it allows us to have events like this and obviously gives us a little bit of a homecourt advantage."
The John Cade Invitational, named in honor of MSU's longtime tennis sports information director and sport administrator, was the final fall event for the Bulldogs' women's tennis program. Greenan exits the fall season pleased with the effort he saw from his team, which features six new players this year.
"There's been some pleasant surprises," Greenan said. "With so many new players, sometimes you just don't know exactly what you're going to get. But everyone is really fitting in well. They're gelling well and the culture here is really good and that always shows eventually on the scoreboard. I like what I'm seeing and we've just got to keep pushing them."
For more information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
John Cade Invitational
Pitts Tennis Centre | Rula Tennis Pavilion | Starkville, Miss.
Oct. 30, 2022
Singles
Aran Teixido Garcia (Memphis) def. #52 Emmanouela Antonaki (MSU) 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-3
Gia Cohen (MSU) def. Monique Woog (MEM) 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(6)
Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Camila Soares (Memphis) 2-6, 6-2, 7-5
Maria Rizzolo (MSU) def. Emily Meyer (Memphis) 6-2, 6-4 Â
Miriam Grosmann (Memphis) def. Dhrani Niroshan (MSU) 6-4, 7-5Â
Emily Surcey (MSU) def. Carlota Carreter (Memphis) 6-1, 6-1
Maddie Bemisderfer (MSU) def. Micah Pierce (Memphis) 7-6(5), 7-5
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