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.
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.
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)
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.
• 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.
For more Information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit Hailstate.com or search for "HailstateWT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
