State Announces Spring Slate For Men's Tennis
December 07, 2023 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Following a fantastic fall showing, Mississippi State is set to embark on its 101st season of men's tennis and 10th year under head coach Matt Roberts.
The Bulldogs have 15 home matches scheduled for the spring split between the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre and the Rula Tennis Pavilion. State's home slate includes hosting ITA Kickoff Weekend as well as three doubleheaders, two of which start off the season next month.
"We are very excited about our schedule this spring and to be able to host ITA Kickoff Weekend in late January is always a privilege," Roberts said. "Our fan base and Bulldog Tennis Club has grown over the years and we want to thank our fans for always being there for us on big match days."
The Bulldogs begin the season with a twin bill against Northern Illinois and UT Chattanooga on Jan. 14 followed by another doubleheader against Florida State and Tennessee State on Jan. 19.
Those four matches will take MSU into ITA Kickoff Weekend where the Bulldogs will welcome Florida State, Arizona State and VCU. Mississippi State will meet the Rams while the Seminoles and Sun Devils do battle in the opening round on Jan. 27. A consolation match will be held for the losing teams the next day followed by a championship final for the winners to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships held in New York at Columbia from Feb. 16-19.
The Bulldogs are also going to host North Florida on Feb. 9 before welcoming VCU back to Starkville on Feb. 11. MSU also has a challenging non-conference road schedule to maneuver by travelling to Middle Tennessee, whom the Bulldogs beat for the NCAA Regional Championship in Starkville last season, on Feb. 2 while also trekking to Memphis on Feb. 7 and Tulane on Feb. 25.
"We worked hard on the non-conference schedule and know it will prepare our team for the always challenging SEC portion of the season," Roberts said. "It's imperative to find the right balance when scheduling so our team is being pushed and also building our ranking through the current ITA ranking system."
Mississippi State opens conference action against defending SEC champion Georgia at home on March 3. The Bulldogs also have SEC home dates against Vanderbilt (March 15), Kentucky (March 17), Ole Miss (March 29), Alabama (March 31) and Tennessee (April 5). Additionally, MSU will bring in Troy to be part of a doubleheader with the Crimson Tide.
"We look forward to competing in front of our amazing fans at Pitts and Rula this spring," Roberts said.
The road portion of league play takes the Bulldogs to Texas A&M (March 8), LSU (March 10), South Carolina (March 22), Florida (March 24), Auburn (April 7) and Arkansas (April 14). LSU will host the SEC Championships this season, which is scheduled from April 17-21.
Mississippi State is coming off a 21-8 campaign in 2023 that saw the Bulldogs advance to the NCAA Championships for the 13th consecutive year. MSU reached the Round of 16 for the fourth time in the last five seasons and brings back four members of its singles lineup, including the top three courts.
Petar Jovanovic is currently rated the No. 13 player in the country in singles and also makes up the 24th-ranked doubles tandem too alongside fellow sophomore Benito Sanchez Martinez. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez represented the Bulldogs at the ITA Fall National Championships in San Diego, California in November.
Seniors Nemanja Malesevic and Carles Hernandez are also back to lead Mississippi State along with sophomore Michal Novansky. The Bulldogs also brought in Presbyterian transfer Dusan Milanovic along with freshmen Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes, Marshall Landry and Radomir Tomic.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
