Mississippi State
Missouri
MSU Wraps Regular Season With SEC Win
April 14, 2024 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State closed out the regular season on a winning note Sunday.
First-year head coach Chris Hooshyar claimed his first SEC victory as his Bulldogs beat Missouri 4-1 and snapped a 25-match conference skid during the regular season that dated back March 3, 2023.
"I'm proud of them for not turning it in," Hooshyar said. "I think a lot of teams would've turned it in much sooner in the season. One of the things we wanted to do was continue to build. I feel like our practice court environment has improved a lot and our workout habits have improved. We've still got a heck of a long way to go on self-belief when we step onto the court, but you're also in a league where you have to earn everything. I couldn't be more proud of them."
Sunday's win over the Tigers began by State taking an early advantage in doubles. Missouri claimed the first doubles match before Chloé Cirotte and Jayna Clemens evened things up with their 6-1 victory over Roma Cardenas and Gabriela Martinez.
Maria Rizzolo and Alessia Tagliente's battle with Andrea Artimedi and Emelie Schwarte went into a tiebreaker before the Bulldogs' junior duo prevailed 7-6(5) to secure the point.
"That was massive," Hooshyar said of winning the doubles point. "We came through the doubles point but got back in our shells a little bit in singles early on. But they did really well fighting out of that shell…Losing five first sets is nails but we came back because they helped bring each other up and that was huge."
Cirotte was the only member of Mississippi State's singles lineup to come out on top in her first set, winning 6-4 against Martinez. The senior from France went on to take the second set 6-2 and walked off the court victorious in her final home match.
"I feel great to be honest," Cirotte said. "I remember winning the match point and almost cried because I realized that it's almost over. We had our senior day after the match and that was emotional. My dad was here and my best friend Alexandra Mikhailuk was with me. It's crazy. You don't get days better than this one."
Missouri (5-21, 0-13 SEC) won the next match but the Bulldogs continued to apply pressure as Dharani Niroshan rallied to beat Roma Cardenas Rifka 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to put her team on the brink of winning.
A brief rain delay did little to dampen MSU's determination. Shortly after play resumed, Clemens clinched things by completing her comeback over Artimedi 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.
It was the third match Clemens has clinched this season, which ties her with fellow freshman Athina Pitta for the team lead. Not only that, but it was also Clemens' first career SEC singles win and sent her team captains Cirotte and Mikhailuk out as winners on Senior Day.
"I wanted to win for them more than anything," Clemens said. "They're the best leaders and are so special to me. That's what pushed me to keep going throughout the match, no matter what was happening. I was able to close it out and was so happy to be able to celebrate with them on their special day."
MSU (11-15, 1-12 SEC) will be the No. 13 seed in the SEC Championships and meet 12th-seeded Kentucky on Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT in Athens, Georgia.
Mississippi State 4, Missouri 1A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre | Starkville, Miss.
April 14, 2024
Doubles
1. Inah Canete/Mae Canete (MIZ) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk/Athina Pitta (MSU) 6-1
2. Chloé Cirotte/Jayna Clemens (MSU) def. Roma Cardenas Rifka/Gabriela Martinez (MIZ) 6-1
3. Maria Rizzolo/Alessia Tagliente (MSU) def. Andrea Artimedi/Emelie Schwarte (MIZ) 7-6(5)
Order of finish: (1,2,3)
Singles
1. Mae Canete (MIZ) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) 7-6(3), 6-2
2. Maria Rizzolo (MSU) vs. Inah Canete (MIZ) 3-6, 7-6(4), 5-4, unfinished
3. Chloé Cirotte (MSU) def. Gabriela Martinez (MIZ) 6-4, 6-2
4. Athina Pitta (MSU) vs. Emelie Schwarte (MIZ) 5-7, 7-5, 2-3, unfinished
5. Dharani Niroshan (MSU) def. Roma Cardenas Rifka (MIZ) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
6. Jayna Clemens (MSU) def. Andrea Artimedi (MIZ) 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: (3,1,5,6)
For more information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateWT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
