MSU Women's Tennis Hosts Pair Of SEC Foes; To Say Goodbye To Three Seniors
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? For the final time in their careers, three Mississippi State seniors will take to the court at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre when the Lady Bulldogs (9-7, 0-7 SEC) welcome Arkansas (10-6, 5-3 SEC) and LSU (13-6, 3-4 SEC) for a pair of matches this Easter weekend.
MSU will host the 14th-ranked Lady Razorbacks at 11 a.m. CT Friday, before seniors Martina Banikova, Elna de Villiers and Daniela Juskova take to the court for the last time at home against LSU at 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
The 67th-ranked Lady Bulldogs come into the weekend off a stream of tough losses to stiff competition. MSU has played three-straight contests against teams ranked in the top-20 of the ITA national rankings. In its last outing, Mississippi State was bested by 20th-ranked Kentucky.
The senior duo of de Villiers and Banikova are making the most of their last moments as Lady Bulldogs. The tandem has won two straight matches at the top doubles position, including a win over the 40th-ranked Kentucky tandem of Carolina Escamilla and Caroline Lilley. Banikova and de Villiers currently boast an overall record of 4-3 in Southeastern Conference play.
The competition does not get any easier for the Lady Bulldogs this weekend. Both Arkansas and LSU claim high national rankings, while the Lady Razorbacks are enjoying a tight lead in the SEC West. Arkansas’ Aurelija Miseviciute is also one of the top players in the league with a No. 5 national ranking.
Following this weekend’s home finale, Mississippi State will conclude the 2009 regular season against in-state rival Ole Miss next Saturday, April 18 at 1 p.m. CT.
Admission to all MSU home tennis matches is free. Also, follow live stats for all contests at mstateathletics.com.