MSU Women's Tennis Opens Up Road Slate At Alabama, Auburn
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Mississippi State’s Lady Bulldog tennis team travels to the University of Alabama on Friday, March 7, and continues on to 41st-ranked Auburn Sunday, March 9, to open up their 2008 road schedule. The match with the Crimson tide is set for 3 p.m. CT on Friday, while Sunday’s contest against the Lady Tigers of Auburn is slated for 1 p.m.
MSU enters this weekend’s action with a 5-3 overall record. MSU dropped their first two matches of Southeastern Conference play last week with setbacks to second-ranked Georgia (4-0) and 23rd-ranked Tennessee (5-2).
The match versus Alabama will serve as the 41st meeting between the two schools. UA currently holds a 28-12 all-time the series with a 14-5 edge in matches played in Tuscaloosa. Alabama enters the match 3-6 on the season and 0-2 in SEC play.
The match on Sunday will mark the 36th meeting between State and Auburn. The Tigers hold a 21-14 lead in the all-time series with a 12-7 mark on the Plains against the Lady Bulldogs. Auburn is 9-3 in 2008 with their only losses coming against teams ranked in the top 25 nationally. They are 1-1 in league play.
"This is our most important weekend so far this season," said head coach Tracy Lane. "Alabama and Auburn are always big rivalries for us. We are playing at a very high level of tennis and we need to maintain that level throughout the weekend."
Following this weekend’s action, the Lady Bulldogs will continue their road trip with a pair of neutral site matches. State will travel to Gulf Shores, Ala., to play Eastern Illinois on Wednesday, March 12, at 11 a.m. CT and then continue on to Mobile where they will play Indiana State at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 15.