Lady Bulldog Tennis Opens Conference Slate With Pair Of Home Matches
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's women's tennis team (7-1) welcomes Kentucky (1-7) and 24th-ranked Vanderbilt (5-2) to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre this Friday and Saturday to start the 2010 Southeastern Conference season.
First serve of Friday's contest between the Lady Bulldogs and UK is slated for 2 p.m. CT, while Sunday's match with the Commodores is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT start.
The Lady Bulldogs roared through the early portion of the non-conference slate, with the lone loss coming to seventh-ranked Miami in the second match of the season. Since then, MSU has won six straight, ousting Southern Mississippi for a school-record 30th time this past Sunday.
Sophomore Natalia Mayuk's 6-2 record in singles leads Mississippi State, with playing time coming at the two, three, four, and five courts. Newcomer Mariia Ryzhova has also played a pivotal role on this year's team. She was instrumental in State's win over Southern Miss., as she took a straight-set victory at the No. 4 spot.
Kentucky has struggled through a tough non-conference slate, with its lone victory coming against SEC-foe Alabama at the ITA Kickoff Weekend. In their last outing, the Wildcats took a 5-2 loss at Indiana. Conversely, Vanderbilt has been strong through the first seven matches of the 2010 season. The Commodores' only losses came against Tennessee and Princeton in back-to-back 4-3 matches earlier in the year.
Following play this weekend, Mississippi State hits the road. The Lady Bulldogs play at LSU and Arkansas next Friday and Saturday.
First serve of Friday's contest between the Lady Bulldogs and UK is slated for 2 p.m. CT, while Sunday's match with the Commodores is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT start.
The Lady Bulldogs roared through the early portion of the non-conference slate, with the lone loss coming to seventh-ranked Miami in the second match of the season. Since then, MSU has won six straight, ousting Southern Mississippi for a school-record 30th time this past Sunday.
Sophomore Natalia Mayuk's 6-2 record in singles leads Mississippi State, with playing time coming at the two, three, four, and five courts. Newcomer Mariia Ryzhova has also played a pivotal role on this year's team. She was instrumental in State's win over Southern Miss., as she took a straight-set victory at the No. 4 spot.
Kentucky has struggled through a tough non-conference slate, with its lone victory coming against SEC-foe Alabama at the ITA Kickoff Weekend. In their last outing, the Wildcats took a 5-2 loss at Indiana. Conversely, Vanderbilt has been strong through the first seven matches of the 2010 season. The Commodores' only losses came against Tennessee and Princeton in back-to-back 4-3 matches earlier in the year.
Following play this weekend, Mississippi State hits the road. The Lady Bulldogs play at LSU and Arkansas next Friday and Saturday.