Bulldogs Hit The Road For Pair Of Ranked Matchups

Mississippi State women's tennis hits the road for a pair of ranked SEC matchups this weekend.

The 64th ranked Bulldogs face No. 63 Kentucky (7-8, 1-6 SEC) on Friday at 4 p.m. in Lexington before traveling to Knoxville to take on No. 6 Tennessee (11-3, 5-2 SEC) at noon on Sunday. Including this weekend's matches, Eight of the Bulldogs' nine SEC matchups have featured ranked opponents.

Rankings
MSU
Singles – n/a
Doubles – Gianna Oboniye/Athina Pitta (72)

Kentucky
Singles – Zoe Hammond (59), Julia Zhu (95),
Doubles – Elizabeth Eades/Elizabeth Stevens (65)

Tennessee
Singles – Elza Tomase (7), Catherine Aulia (32), Leyla Britez Risso (92)
Doubles – Catherine Aulia/Leyla Britez Risso (44), Elza Tomase/Catherine Aulia (51), Elza Tomase/Elim Yan (59)

Series History
vs. Kentucky
Overall: Kentucky leads 43-7
In Lexington: Kentucky leads 21-1
Last Meeting: Kentucky won during the opening round of the SEC Championships in Athens, Ga., 4-1 (2024)

vs. Tennessee
Overall: Tennessee leads 40-11
In Knoxville: Tennessee leads 19-2
Last Meeting: Tennessee won in Knoxville, 6-1 (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 55-36 to begin dual-match play.
• 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 joined the ITA Rankings this week coming in at No. 72 on the ITA doubles rankings. They are the first Mississippi State doubles team to be ranked since the 2022 season.
• Oboniye and Pitta have won nine of their 13 doubles matches in dual match play including a win over LSU's 11th-ranked duo of Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross.
• Emma Cohen and Alessia Tagliente picked up their first ever SEC victory as a pair against Florida on March 14.
• Jayna Clemens boasts a 10-1 mark in singles dual match play.
• Chiara Di Genova has won two-straight SEC singles matches and is 7-4 in dual match play.
• Oboniye has also posted a 7-4 mark in singles dual match play.
• 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.

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

Bulldogs Hit The Road For Pair Of Ranked Matchups

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Players Mentioned

Jayna Clemens

Emma Cohen

Chiara Di Genova

Gianna Oboniye

Athina Pitta

Alessia Tagliente

Carolina Troiano

Mississippi State University Athletics