Roberts Signs Three, Ramskogler Returning

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's tennis concluded its season in the NCAA Championship last week but the Bulldogs are already gearing up for next year.

Head coach Matt Roberts is adding three players to the 2022-23 roster along with retaining Gregor Ramskogler for a fifth year as well. Ewen Lumsden and Patrick Lazo are both graduate transfers from Washington and Georgia State respectively, while Petar Jovanovic will be a true freshman in the fall.

"We're continuing to build our culture and we feel like these guys are a great fit for what we're trying to do next year with our team," Roberts said.

Ramskogler is a four-year letterwinner and has amassed 132 overall victories during his Bulldog career. The Reichraming, Austria native posted a career-best 13-9 dual match record in singles this season and was ranked as highly as No. 6 nationally in doubles along with partner Florian Broska.

"Resigning Gregor is huge for the team," Roberts said. "He's a true Bulldog through and through. He loves working hard. He loves Starkville and is a great leader for the team. He brings a lot of energy to practices and our matches. He's developed a lot during in his four years here."

Ramskogler is set to graduate from MSU with an undergraduate degree in kinesiology on Thursday and will begin pursuing his master's degree in sports administration. The allure of returning to State for another season was something Ramskogler simply could not pass on.

"It's really great to be back for another year," Ramskogler said. "There were obviously a few factors that played into it. I'll be able to get my master's (degree) done in that extra year. But the main point was that I love the team here and love the university. I just couldn't stay away, I like it too much."

Lumsden was a 2021 All-Pac-12 honorable mention and was ranked as high as No. 66 in singles and No. 29 in doubles this year. The Glasgow, Scotland native played the top three positions in the Huskies' lineup this spring, amassing 18 singles victories this year – including a win over then No. 25 Philip Henning of Georgia 7-6(3), 6-0 during the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.

In doubles, Lumsden went 14-8 during dual match play with four victories over ranked opponents.

"Ewen has played top three for Washington for four years," Roberts said. "He's been ranked as high as No. 66 in singles and has a UTR of 12.85. Ewen wants to play pro and wants to be pushed one more year in college and wants to be around a very high level of tennis. He was attracted to our team and the conference that we play in. He seems very hungry to work hard and develop into a professional tennis player."

Lazo helped lead Georgia State to the Sun Belt regular season and tournament championship this spring. The Alpharetta, Georgia native was selected as the Sun Belt Student-Athlete of the Week last month after going undefeated in singles and doubles during the Sun Belt Conference Tournament against Troy and South Alabama.

Lazo posted a perfect singles record during conference play this season has also made the Dean's List each year that he has been at Georgia State in addition to being named an ITA Scholar Athlete in 2020.

"He's an athletic lefty and a hard worker," Roberts said. "Patrick is going to bring a lot of leadership and experience qualities to this team. He's helped build the culture and team chemistry at Georgia State. He's done a really good job creating a really good environment on that team. He was a conference champion this year and we're real excited to bring him in to help lead our team next year."

The Bulldogs already have some familiarity with Jovanovic. The incoming freshman from Podgorica, Montenegro knows Nemanja Malesevic and has played against Carles Hernandez in the past.

Jovanovic currently has an ITF Singles ranking of 1252 and posted a career-best 1243 last month. He also holds a personal-best 1844 ranking right now in doubles.

"Petar is 6-foot-5 and has a big game, a big serve and a big forehand," Roberts said. "He hasn't been able to play many tournaments so we feel he has a lot of upside. We're looking forward to helping him develop his game. He's a great kid and is going to be a good student as well."

Mississippi State's 2021-22 season is not quite over yet. Graduate Florian Broska will be representing the Bulldogs in the NCAA Singles Championship in Urbana, Illinois beginning on May 23.

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

Roberts Signs Three, Ramskogler Returning

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