No. 16 State Set To Host Starkville Regional
April 29, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – For the sixth time in program history, the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships will run through Starkville.
No. 16 Mississippi State will be top seed in the Starkville Regional and takes on fourth-seeded Alabama State on Friday at 1 p.m. It marks the second-straight year that the Bulldogs have hosted the opening rounds of the NCAA Championships.
"It's always good to play in front of our home crowd and we don't have to move," said senior Nemanja Malesevic. "It's going to be a good crowd. I remember from last year that it was some of the best crowds that we've had in my four years here. I'm looking forward to big crowds and invite everyone in Starkville to stop by on Friday and Saturday and support us." Â
No. 2 seed Georgia Tech opens the Starkville Regional against third-seeded Middle Tennessee on Friday at 10 a.m. The winners of Friday's matches will square off on Saturday at 1 p.m. for a shot to advance onward to the Sweet 16.
"Reaching that goal of hosting the first two rounds of NCAAs is pretty nice," said senior Carles Hernandez. "Of course, we're not satisfied but it feels pretty good to get these first two rounds here in Starkville."
MSU is making its 13th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships and 32nd overall. The Bulldogs have at least reached the Round of 16 in four of their last five NCAA bids, including last season.
Both Alabama State and Middle Tennessee were part of the 2023 Starkville Regional field with the Bulldogs advancing by beating both. Mississippi State prevailed 4-0 over Alabama State in the first round and 4-2 against Middle Tennessee to reach the Fort Worth Super Regional.
Mississippi State is 17-7 on the year and finished third in the Southeastern Conference standings with a 9-3 record. No. 49 Petar Jovanovic was named a first team All-SEC selection and Malesevic – who is ranked 53rd nationally - was tabbed second team All-SEC for the third year in a row. Jovanovic also makes up half of the 12th-ranked doubles tandem in the country alongside Benito Sanchez Martinez.
"I've just been proud of the guys' work ethic this year," said head coach Matt Roberts. "They've become a really close team. It's not easy to come together like we have week-in and week-out. They love hanging out together off the court, traveling together and training with each. That's the most important thing to me is to get them close, having everyone together and really holding each other accountable. You learn how to be a teammate and grow together and the results will come. I think we achieved that this year."
MSU is 5-0 all-time against Alabama State and outscored the Hornets 23-0 in those matches.
The Bulldogs sport a 2-4 mark against Georgia Tech with the last meeting coming in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Championships in Atlanta. Mississippi State is 21-3 all-time against Middle Tennessee, including an 18-1 record at home.
The Bulldogs met Middle Tennessee earlier this season for their first road match with the Blue Raiders prevailing 4-3 in Murfreesboro on Feb. 2.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
