MSU Opens SEC Tournament With Gamecocks

STARKVILLE – For the second time this spring, Mississippi State women's tennis will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks, this time in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.

The Bulldogs (10-15, 0-15 SEC) face ninth seeded and 23rd-ranked South Carolina (13-10, 8-7 SEC) at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday in Auburn, Alabama. The meeting marks the 14th occasion the Bulldogs have faced a ranked SEC opponent with 11 programs being ranked inside the top 25. The eighth-seeded Texas Longhorns await the winner of the matchup in the second round.

Rankings
MSU
Singles – n/a
Doubles – Gianna Oboniye/Athina Pitta (50)

South Carolina
Singles – Sarah Hamner (13), Kaitlyn Carnicella (55)
Doubles – Kaitlyn Carnicella/Sarah Hamner (16)

Series History
vs. South Carolina
Overall: South Carolina leads 35-2
In Neutral Contests: South Carolina leads 2-0
Last Meeting: South Carolina won in Starkville, 4-2 on March 28. Emma Cohen and Alessia Tagliente took down Bella Bergqvist Larsson and Olympe Lancelot 6-2 to begins doubles play. Jayna Clemens and Chiara Di Genova defeated Helena Buchwald and Lauren Friedman 6-4 to clinch the doubles point. Chiara Di Genova defeated Helena Buchwald 6-3, 6-2 in singles play.

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 (11)
vs. ranked opponents –Oboniye/Pitta (2)
Double clinches – Oboniye/Pitta (4)

Notes to know
• Gianna Oboniye and Athina Pitta came in at No. 50 in the ITA doubles rankings this week. They are the first Mississippi State doubles team to be ranked since the 2022 season.
• Oboniye and Pitta have won ten of their 18 doubles matches in dual match play including a win over LSU's 11th-ranked duo of Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross.
• The tandem picked up their second ranked win of the season defeating Texas' 26th-ranked duo of Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo and Ashton Bowers on April 6.
• Emma Cohen and Alessia Tagliente picked up their first ranked victory as a pair against 77th-ranked Bella Bergqvist Larsson and Olympe Lancelot of South Carolina on March 28.
• Carolina Troiano earned her first SEC doubles win of the spring pairing up with Tagliente to take down Anet Koskel and Grace O'Donnell of Arkansas this past weekend.
• Jayna Clemens and Chiara Di Genova have won three of their last five SEC doubles matches together including clinching the doubles point against South Carolina on March 28 and Arkansas this past weekend.
• Clemens boasts a 10-2 mark in singles dual matches.
• Di Genova has won four of her last six dual singles matches and is 8-6 in dual match play.
• Carolina Troiano leads the team with four singles match clinches.
• Mississippi State started the season with nine straight wins, its best start to a season in program history.
•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.
• 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.
• 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.

– HailState.com –

MSU Opens SEC Tournament With Gamecocks

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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