Mississippi State
Memphis
No. 13 MSU Closes Out Non-Conference Homestand
February 08, 2025 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – No. 13 Mississippi State wraps up non-conference play and an 11-match homestand on Sunday with a doubleheader against Memphis and Jackson State.
The 8-1 Bulldogs are set to battle Memphis (2-6) inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion at 10 a.m. and move outdoors to face JSU (0-1) at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre at 5 p.m. The two sets of visiting Tigers will also take on one another in a neutral site match at 1 p.m.
Rankings: Singles – MSU - Benito Sanchez Martinez (56), Petar Jovanovic (72), Mario Martinez Serrano (89), Niccolo Baroni (91) Memphis – Conor Gannon (78). Doubles – MSU – Jovanovic/Sanchez Martinez (12), Baroni/Martinez Serrano (32) Memphis – Gannon/Sam Reeve (59).
Series History: Mississippi State leads the series vs. Memphis 20-13 overall and 10-7 in Starkville.
The Bulldogs have won 12-straight against Memphis.
MSU is a perfect 7-0 against Jackson State and has outscored JSU 47-2 in the series, all in Starkville.
Last Meeting: The Bulldogs won 4-3 over Memphis on the road last year. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez claimed singles wins in that match while Dusan Milanovic was part of a doubles victory and also clinched the match on the final court in singles.
Mississippi State topped JSU 6-1 in Starkville in 2023. Jovanovic contributed singles and doubles victories in that match while Sanchez Martinez also added a singles win.
Last Time Out: The Bulldogs shutout Tulane (7-0) and Tennessee Tech (4-0) at home this past Sunday. Memphis lost 4-0 at Arkansas on Friday. Jackson State also fell 7-0 at Mississippi College in its season opener on Friday.
MSU Leaders: Overall singles wins – Baroni (12), Martinez Serrano (12), Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (12), Michal Novansky (12) Singles wins vs. ranked opponents – Sanchez Martinez (5) Match clinches – Ferrer Guimaraes (3). Overall doubles wins – Jovanovic/Sanchez Martinez (15) Doubles wins vs. ranked opponents – Jovanovic/Sanchez Martinez (4) Doubles clinches – Baroni/Martinez Serrano (3), Jovanovic/Sanchez Martinez (3).
Notes to Know:
- Mississippi State is in its 102nd season of men's tennis. The program played its first tennis match in 1907 and has competed every year since 1946.
- Matt Roberts is in his 13th season at MSU and 11th as the Bulldogs' head coach. Roberts has compiled a 195-79 overall record and a 125- 25 mark at home. He is currently the longest-tenured head coach at State.
- The Bulldogs have made 13-consecutive appearances in the NCAA Championships and have reached the Sweet 16 in five of the past six seasons.
- Men's tennis posted a 3.68 grade point average during the fall semester. It was the highest team GPA of any sport at Mississippi State.
- Since 1969, the Bulldogs are 81-15 in doubleheaders.
- Jovanovic missed last Sunday's wins while in China representing his home country of Montenegro in the prestigious Davis Cup.
- Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez come into Sunday with 41 career victories together, which is tied with Jordan Angus and Malte Stropp (2013-14) for the fifth-most wins by a doubles duo in program history.
- Novansky is riding a career and team-best 10-match winning streak in singles. He has not lost in singles during dual match play since April 20, 2023.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
