Bulldog Netmen Begin West Road Trip With UNLV
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The 39th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team will open a two-match road swing in Nevada Wednesday, taking on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Match time is set for 4 p.m. CT at UNLV's Fertitta Tennis Complex.
The Bulldogs (5-5), are coming off a 4-3 win over Auburn this past weekend at home. In that match, State swept the doubles point and won three of the first four singles matches. MSU has two players ranked in the nation's top-35 including 26th-ranked Ivan Bjelica and 32nd-ranked Philippe Frayssinoux. Junior Ryan Farlow currently leads the team with six dual match victories while Bjelica and freshman Antonio Lastre are second with five.
UNLV is 5-4 overall this season. The Rebels are led by 93rd-ranked junior Elliot Wronski and sophomore Luca Barlocchi. Wronski is 7-2 in dual matches this season playing at the #1 position while Barlocchi is 6-1. Led by fifth-year head coach Owen Hambrook, the Rebels are the defending Mountain West Conference Tournament Champions.
There have only been two meetings between the two programs since 1969 with each team earning a win. Last season in Las Vegas, UNLV rallied to defeat the Bulldogs 4-3.
"Coming off a big win on Sunday, we hope we can continue to play good tennis this week," said MSU head coach Per Nilsson. "UNLV is a good team and we have to be ready to go if we want to win."
Following Wednesday's match, State will travel to Reno, Nev., to face the University of Nevada on Saturday. That match is scheduled for a 3 p.m. CT start.