State Netmen Set For Matchup With Vanderbilt In First Round Of SEC Tournament
The Bulldogs (6-13, 3-8), are currently led by a pair of juniors in Ivan Bjelica and Philippe Frayssinoux. Bjelica is currently ranked 39th in singles while Frayssinoux is 55th. Bjelica and Frayssinoux also entered the ITA rankings in doubles this past week, entering at 36th.
Vanderbilt is 10-11 overall this season, including a 4-7 mark in SEC play. The Commodores are led by 60th-ranked Ryan Preston and freshman Vijay Paul.
We are excited about the chance to play this next week at the SEC Tournament," said MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard. "We are going to try to get back on a winning track after some tough losses. We played Vanderbilt well earlier this year at home and were able to get the win, but this matchup will be very different. They are a very good team and we will have to play well to have a chance.
In a meeting earlier this season in Starkville, State defeated Vanderbilt 5-2 in the midst of a three-match winning streak. In the all-time series against Vanderbilt, the Bulldogs hold a commanding 32-8 lead. State is also 2-0 against VU in two previous meetings in SEC Tournament play.
MSU is 19-16 overall in the SEC Tournament since the current format was adopted in 1990. Last season, State became the first #12 seed to win a match in the tournament and advanced to the semifinals for the first time since 1998.
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