Lady Netters In Search Of Eighth Win; Play Host To East Tennessee State Saturday
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? Off to their first 7-0 start in school history, the 65th-ranked Mississippi State women’s tennis team plays host to East Tennessee State (1-2) Saturday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Play between the Lady Bulldogs and Buccaneers is slated to begin at 11 a.m. CT.
MSU picked up their seventh win of the season in last Thursday’s 6-1 victory over Memphis. As they have done in every match this season, State started the day off winning the doubles point. They went on to pick up victories in five singles courts to give the Lady Bulldogs an impressive win over the Tigers.
Junior Radka Feranocova leads the MSU squad in singles wins so far this season. The Lucenec, Slovakia native is undefeated at the No. 3 position and has yet to play a three-set match. Meanwhile, the junior is on a four-match winning streak in doubles with teammate Daniela Juskova.
The Lady Bulldogs are lead at the No.1 doubles position by seniors Martina Banikova and Elna de Villiers. The senior tandem has won five straight contests at the top court, including last week’s 8-5 triumph over Memphis.
MSU’s rookies also continue to be a bright spot in the lineup. Freshmen Natalia Mayuk and Olesya Tsigvintseva rebounded against Memphis to pick up an 8-5 victory over the Tiger pair of Sarah Irvin and Ashley Murdock. In singles competition, the two have a combined 9-4 record at courts two and five respectively.
The Buccaneers won their last outing 5-2 over Charleston Southern. Junior Yevgeniya Stupak leads the club as the 74th-ranked player in the nation.
Following the match with East Tennessee State, MSU will start the 2009 Southeastern Conference Schedule at Tennessee on Friday, March 6. The contest between the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Volunteers is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. CT start in Knoxville, Tenn.