Bulldog Netmen Set For Home Match With South Alabama
STARKVILLE, Miss. -Mississippi State's men's tennis team will continue its three-match homestand Sunday as they play host to 41st-ranked South Alabama at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the MSU campus. Match time is set for 1 p.m. CT. In case of rain, the match will be moved indoors to the McCarthy Gym.
MSU (2-2), enters the matchup coming off a 6-1 win this past week over Louisiana-Lafayette. The Bulldogs won five singles matches and won the doubles point to move to 2-0 at home this season. Ranked 53rd in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association's poll, the Bulldogs are led by senior Ivan Bjelica and Ryan Farlow. Bjelica is 7-1 this spring and 3-0 in dual matches. Farlow has claimed 13 victories this season, including three dual match wins.
South Alabama comes into Sunday's match with a 1-2 record this season. After a season-opening win over North Florida, the Jaguars have dropped matches to #16 Florida State and Central Florida. The Jaguars are currently led by junior Jack Baker. Ranked 20th in the latest singles rankings, Baker is 2-1 in dual matches. Baker and Marek Sramek are ranked eighth-nationally in doubles.
In the all time series with USA, State holds an 11-7 lead. The Bulldogs hold a 7-4 mark in matches played in Starkville. Last season, South Alabama defeated MSU 5-2 in Mobile, Ala.
Following Sunday's match, the Bulldogs will take six days away from action. Their next match, which will be the last before SEC play, will be against Georgia State on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. CT.