Mississippi State
Florida
State Readies For Two Top 20 Opponents On The Road
March 28, 2024 | Women's Tennis
Mississippi State women's tennis hits the road this weekend to take on a pair of top 20 opponents.
The first stop on the Bulldogs' journey is at No. 14 Florida on Good Friday at 4 p.m. CT before trekking to 18th-ranked South Carolina on Easter Sunday at 10 a.m. CT.
The Gators and Gamecocks are the eighth and ninth straight ranked SEC foes MSU and head coach Chris Hooshyar have faced. The Bulldogs (10-10, 0-7 SEC) are coming off a 4-0 shutout victory at home against Mississippi Valley State last Sunday.
Alexandra Mikhailuk has won 67 career singles matches which ties her with MSU Hall of Famer and current Northwestern head coach Claire Pollard (1986-89) for the 10th-most victories in school history. Mikhailuk needs one more to match Sabine Guibal (1988-91) for ninth all-time.
Mikhailuk and Maria Rizzolo are currently tied for the team lead with 13 singles wins apiece on the year. Mikhailuk sports a sparkling 10-3 record during dual match play while Rizzolo has won three of her last four decisions, including a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory over then 60th-ranked Bridget Stammel of Vanderbilt on March 17.
Dharani Niroshan and Alessia Tagliente top the Bulldogs' doubles tandems with 10 wins together this season.
Florida comes into Friday riding a five-match winning streak and is 10-7 overall and 6-2 in conference play. The Gators are coming off a 4-0 win at Missouri last Sunday.
Florida's singles lineup features five ranked competitors in Rachel Gailis (15), Sara Dahlstrom (52), Emily De Oliveira (67), Carly Briggs (84) and Qavia Lopez (109). Niroshan defeated Gailis in straight sets 6-4, 7-6(6) last season in Starkville.
South Carolina enters the weekend at 4-4 in league play and is 12-5 overall. The Gamecocks fell 4-1 at then 51st-ranked Arkansas their last time out this past Sunday and will square off against No. 30 Ole Miss on Friday.
South Carolina is headlined by a pair of top 10 singles players in No. 7 Ayana Akli and No. 9 Sarah Hamner. Akli and Hamner also makeup the nation's No. 30 doubles duo while Akli is also part of the 45th-ranked duo alongside Olympe Lancelot.
For more information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateWT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
