Bulldogs Set To Host Starkville Regional
May 01, 2023 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – For the fifth time in program history, Mississippi State will be the host site for the opening rounds of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships.
The 15th-overall seeded Bulldogs will be the top seed in the Starkville Regional and take on fourth-seeded Alabama State on Friday not before 2 p.m.
"It feels pretty good to be able to host," said junior Nemanja Malesevic. "It's also good for the community to be able to host. It was kind of our goal from the beginning of the year to make the top 16 and host NCAAs at home. I'm super glad we got a chance to show our crowd how we play."
No. 2 seed Middle Tennessee will open the regional earlier on Friday against No. 3 seed Tulane starting at 11 a.m. The final of the Starkville Regional is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m.
"I'm excited to get a big crowd out because this group on our team has not hosted," said head coach Matt Roberts. "There's just a lot of excitement to play in front of a lot of people. There seems like a lot of people in our community that want to come out and watch so it's exciting for our team to be able to play in front of a big crowd."
MSU is making its 12th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships and 31st overall. The Bulldogs have reached the Round of 16 in two of their last three trips to the postseason and participated in the Cambridge Regional last spring.
Mississippi State is 19-7 overall on the year and has posted a 15-1 record at home. The Bulldogs have defeated four top 20 opponents in 2023, including the highest-ranked win in program history when they knocked off then No. 2 South Carolina 5-2 at home on March 19.
MSU is led by second team All-SEC selections Malesevic, Ewen Lumsden and Carles Hernandez as well as Freshman All-SEC pick Petar Jovanovic. Malesevic (80), Lumsden (106), Hernandez (117) and Jovanovic (123) make up the Bulldogs'Â ranked singles competitors while Malesevic is ranked with both Hernandez and Michal Novansky in doubles at 69th and 85th respectively.
Mississippi State is 4-0 all-time against Alabama State with all four matches taking place at home. The Bulldogs last defeated ASU 4-0 in the opening round of the 2019 Starkville Regional and has outscored the Hornets 19-0 during their previous meetings.
MSU met both Middle Tennessee and Tulane earlier this season in Starkville. The Bulldogs downed the Blue Raiders 5-2 on Jan. 22 and also defeated the Green Wave 4-3, both inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion.
Mississippi State is 20-2 all-time against MTSU having won five straight in the series. The Bulldogs met the Blue Raiders in the opening round of the Champaign Regional in 2001, winning 4-0. They also hold a 17-7 overall record against Tulane and have won nine of the last 10 matches in the series. Â
Tickets are now available for the first and second round at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. All-session passes are available for $8 for adults and $5 for children and senior citizens. A per-session pass is also available for $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors. Children 2 and under are free.Â
Fans interested in purchasing all-tournament tickets may do so by contacting the Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office (662-325-2600 or 1-888-GO-DAWGS). They can also be ordered online at www.HailState.com/tickets.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
