Mississippi State
Vanderbilt
No. 15 MSU At Home Versus 64th-Ranked Vandy
March 14, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's tennis surged seven spots to No. 15 in the latest ITA rankings following a 4-3 road victory over then 19th-ranked LSU last Sunday.
The Bulldogs have another ranked Southeastern Conference opponent on deck as they welcome No. 64Â Vanderbilt to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Friday at 3 p.m. In case of inclement weather, Friday's match will move indoors to the adjacent Rula Tennis Pavilion.
MSU enters its matchup against the Commodores at 10-4 overall and 2-1 in league play. Matt Roberts' Bulldogs are 7-2 in Starkville this spring and have won three straight at home, including a 4-3 victory over then 43rd-ranked Georgia earlier this month.
No. 121 Carles Hernandez has played exceptionally well all season. The senior from Spain has won 14 of his last 16 singles matches dating back to last spring and leads the team with a 10-2 record during dual match play.
No. 27 Petar Jovanovic tops State in overall singles wins with 19 and also makes up half of the nation's 35th-ranked doubles tandem alongside fellow sophomore Benito Sanchez Martinez. Together, Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez have earned four victories over ranked duos this season, including last week's 6-3 decision over No. 51 Stefan Latinovic and Aleksi Lofman of LSU.
Vandy rolls into the weekend with a 9-6 overall record and are off to an 0-3 start to SEC action. The Commodores dropped their third-straight match last Sunday, falling 4-3 at home to No. 21 Alabama.
No. 57 Danil Panarin headlines Vanderbilt's lineup. The Russian freshman sports a 10-4 singles record with a pair of ranked wins on the year.
Mississippi State has controlled the series against the Commodores with a 45-14 overall record and a 19-5 mark in Starkville. The Bulldogs have claimed eight-straight wins in the series, including a 5-2 victory at Vandy last spring in which Jovanovic, Hernandez, Sanchez Martinez and Nemanja Malesevic all earned singles triumphs.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
