Mississippi State
Florida
Women's Tennis hosts Florida & Auburn
March 13, 2025 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE – For the second-consecutive weekend, Mississippi State women's tennis hosts a pair of SEC matches, highlighted by Florida and Auburn.
Â
The 54th-ranked Bulldogs will host No. 37 Florida (4-6, 1-4 SEC) on Friday at 3 p.m. before a doubleheader on Sunday, with State taking on No. 11 Auburn (13-4, 2-3 SEC) at noon.Â
Rankings:
Florida
Singles – Rachel Gailis (50)
Doubles – Alicia Dudeney/Rachel Gailis (6)
Auburn
Singles – DJ Bennett (4), Merna Refaat (28), Angella Okutoyi (71), Ava Hrastar (99)
Doubles – DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (18)
Â
Series History
vs. Florida
Overall: Florida leads 42-1
In Starkville: Florida leads 20-0
Last Meeting: Florida won in Gainesville, 4-0 (2024)
vs. Auburn
Overall: Auburn leads 34-17
In Starkville: Auburn leads 13-8
Last Meeting: Auburn won in Starkville, 4-0 (2024)
State Wins Leaders:
Overall singles – Jayna Clemens (14)
vs. ranked opponents – Gianna Oboniye (1)
Matches clinched – Carolina Troiano (4)
Overall doubles – Gianna Oboniye/Athina Pitta (10)
vs. ranked opponents – Chiara Di Genova/Tagliente (1), Oboniye/Pitta (1)
Double clinches – Oboniye/Pitta (4)
Notes to know:
• This year marks the 51st season of women's tennis at Mississippi State after playing its inaugural season in 1975. The Bulldogs have won 499 matches all-time.
• State's 9-0 record was the best start in program history.
• The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 55-28 to begin dual-match play.
• The Bulldogs are 10-2 in home matches this season.
• MSU has won 83 of its last 85 non-conference home matches since Feb. 27, 2013.
• The Bulldogs are 19-1 in non-conference home matches under Chris Hooshyar.
• Women's tennis posted a 3.58 grade point average as a team during the fall semester. It was the second-highest GPA of any women's team at MSU during the fall.
• Gianna Oboniye and Athina Pitta picked up a ranked win defeating LSU's No. 11 ranked pair of Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross, 6-4.
• Oboniye & Athina have won nine of their 11 doubles matches in dual match play.
• Oboniye has posted a 7-2 record in singles dual match play.
• Chiara Di Genova has won two-straight SEC singles matches and is 7-4 in dual match play.
• Jayna Clemens boasts a 10-1 mark in singles dual match play.Â
• Carolina Troiano collected her first collegiate SEC singles win against Ole Miss and is 6-2 on the season. She also leads the team with four singles match clinches.
• Florida head coach Per Nilsson makes his return to Starkville. He played on the men's tennis team from 1991-94 and coached the men's tennis program from 2008-2014.
• The Bulldogs signed five-star prospect Mia Robinson out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Robinson is the top-ranked recruit in the state of South Carolina and the No. 14 prospect in the country. She is set to join the team in the fall of 2025.
Â
For more Information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit Hailstate.com or search for "HailstateWT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Â
Players Mentioned
