STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The 50th ranked Mississippi State men’s tennis team, 2-2 on the year, will host their second and third-straight home matches this weekend. On Friday, MSU will welcome the Memphis Tigers (5-2) at 2 p.m., and on Sunday entertain the Georgia State Panthers (0-7).
MSU is coming off a home-opening, 5-2 win over the UAB Blazers for second-year head coach Per Nilsson’s second-straight, home-opening win as the leader of the Bulldog tennis team.
The Bulldogs’ only two losses this season have come against opponents ranked in the top 10 nationally, with Ole Miss ranked ninth and Southern Cal at sixth. State also notched a win over then-49th-ranked Saint Mary’s on a neutral court, shutting out the Gaels 4-0 during the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Los Angeles, Calif.
MSU’s doubles tandem of sophomore Antonio Lastre and freshman Daniel Sanchez have enjoyed success since dual match play began, as the pair is currently 4-0 and will be looking to remain undefeated on Friday.
Lastre has also shined at the #5 singles spot for MSU, winning his first three matches of the year before dropping a tough three-set bout this past Sunday to UAB.
Memphis boasts two players who have already reached 10 wins this year, with senior Jorge Vazquez holding a 10-3 record thus far and freshman K.C. Griffin, who holds a 10-2 record on the year.
Georgia State presents a youthful lineup that includes four freshmen. They are led by senior Nejc Podkrajsek, who is 3-3 in dual match play.
The Panthers, who are still in search for their first win of the season will play in two matches before Sunday’s match with the Bulldogs. GSU will face Georgia Tech on Thursday in Atlanta, followed by a Saturday match against State’s Friday opponent, the Memphis Tigers, which will actually be a neutral site contest played at MSU’s A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre at 11 a.m.
Against Memphis, MSU currently holds a five-match win streak over the Tigers, but are even with Memphis all-time at 13-13. This will be the first match against Memphis since 2007 when MSU won at Memphis, 4-3. MSU is 2-0 all-time against Georgia State, most recently last season’s 6-1 home victory over the Panthers.
Admission is free at all MSU home tennis matches and live stats will be available at www.msstateathletics.com.
