Bulldogs Renew Rivalry With Ole Miss

STARKVILLE – In-state bragging rights will be on the line when Mississippi State renews its rivalry with Ole Miss on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs are expecting a huge turnout at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre and are having a free crawfish boil and giving away t-shirts to the first 100 fans in attendance.

No. 35 MSU (13-8, 3-5 SEC) is coming off back-to-back victories, most recently winning 4-3 on the road at Auburn on Friday. Matt Roberts' Bulldogs provided the first four points in the match, including a straight set singles victory by 72^nd-ranked Nemanja Malesevic over No. 115 Jan Galka 6-3, 6-1.

The singles win was Malesevic's team-leading 16^th of the dual match season and his sixth over a ranked opponent this spring, tying him with No. 39 Florian Broska for the most for Mississippi State in 2022.

The Bulldogs also debuted two new doubles teams against Auburn. Malesevic and Carles Hernandez along with Alberto Colas and Davide Tortora helped MSU claim a crucial doubles point from the Tigers.

State has won three of the last four meetings against Ole Miss, including a 6-1 victory the last time the two teams played in Starkville in 2019.

No. 43 Ole Miss enters Sunday's match at 1-7 in conference play and 11-10 overall. The Rebels have in the midst of a six-match losing skid and have dropped seven of their last eight. They were blanked by ninth-ranked Georgia 4-0 on Friday in Oxford.

Ole Miss' singles lineup features 36^th-ranked Nikola Slavic and No. 110 Finn Reynolds. Reynolds also makes up one-half of the Rebels' 12^th-ranked doubles duo alongside Lukas Engelhardt.

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

Mississippi State University Athletics

Bulldogs Renew Rivalry With Ole Miss

Players Mentioned

Florian Broska

Alberto Colas

Carles Hernandez

Nemanja Malesevic

Davide Tortora

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