State Women's Tennis Heads East For Pair Of Weekend Matches
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's 66th-ranked women's tennis team (9-9, 1-7 SEC) hits the road for the final time this season, when it travels to Alabama for a duo of weekend contests against the Crimson Tide and Auburn.
The Lady Bulldogs face off with 47th-ranked Alabama (8-10, 1-7 SEC) on Friday at 3 p.m. CT, before traveling to Auburn to take on the 57th-ranked Tigers (8-8, 2-6 SEC) Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
Mississippi State comes into the second-to-last weekend of SEC play having played four straight against teams ranked in the top-20. State gave 13th-ranked Georgia all it could handle last Friday, as the MSU women took the match to the final court in a tight 4-3 loss.
Sophomore Olesya Tsigvintseva leads the Lady Bulldogs in singles. Last week, she ousted 29th-ranked Nadja Gilchrist of UGA to give the netter her second win against a ranked opponent this season. Meanwhile, fellow sophomore Natalia Mayuk continues to lead the team in singles victories with eight dual-match triumphs this season, while Mayuk and Tsigivinsteva also team together to lead the team with ten doubles wins.
Alabama and Auburn have both struggled in conference competition, with a combined three wins in SEC action. Both squads defeated Kentucky earlier on the year, a team Mississippi State also beat in its first conference match. The Crimson Tide is led by 47th-ranked Alexa Guarachi at the No.1 position, while the Tigers are led by No. 54 Fani Chifchieva at the top spot.
Following play this weekend, Mississippi State returns home for the final home match of the season. The Lady Bulldogs host Mississippi next Saturday at 1 p.m. CT as part of MSU's Super Bulldog Weekend. Admission is free to the public.