State Tennis Travels To Texas For A Pair Of Weekend Matches
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Following a two-week break from action the No. 33 nationally ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team will travel out west to Texas to face No. 47-ranked TCU on Friday in Fort Worth, followed by a Sunday match against 11th-ranked Baylor in Waco.
The Bulldogs (3-3) will be facing TCU (2-4) for the fourth time ever and Baylor (4-2) for only the sixth time. MSU is 1-2 all-time against the Horned Frogs of TCU and 1-4 against the Bears of Baylor. MSU last faced TCU in 1997 when MSU won, 5-2, and State and Baylor last served it up in 2004 with Baylor being the victor in that match.
MSU has won two-straight matches coming off a pair of 7-0 victories in its home opening weekend against Tulane and UAB. The two shutout wins marks the first time since 2003 that an MSU squad won a pair of 7-0 matches.
"We've had a break since our last match but the good news is we have had a great week of practice while preparing for our Texas trip," said Coach Per Nilsson, who will be facing TCU and Baylor for the first time in his career. "It is also good that the last time we played we had a couple of dominant wins which gave our guys some confidence that I think they'll need when they play TCU and Baylor, who are both really talented teams."
The Bulldogs are led by junior Artem Ilyushin who recently climbed up the polls in singles and is now ranked No. 53 nationally which is the high ranking of the Granite Bay, Calif.-native's career. Ilyushin is currently riding a three-match win streak and has been playing at the No. 2 position for MSU. Fellow junior Louis Cant is also ranked in singles, standing at 73rd nationally. Cant is winner of two-straight and six of his previous seven matches. Bulldog newcomer James Chaudry is a perfect 3-0 in dual match action this season and has won five-straight matches for the Maroon and White.
In doubles, the Bulldog tandem of Cant and Malte Stropp are ranked No. 46 nationally and are 3-2 in dual matches this season. MSU's duo George Coupland and Zach White are also ranked and stand at 72nd nationally.
The Horned Frog, who have dropped four-straight matches, boast one ranked doubles team with Emanuel Brighiu and Christopher Price ranked No. 48 in the country. TCU's Zach Nichols, Cameron Nash and Price all lead TCU in singles with three dual match victories.
Baylor has won two-straight including a 6-1 win over TCU. The Bears are led by 27th-ranked John Peers in singles. Peers has won a team-high 18 matches this season and boasts a perfect 6-0 dual match ledger. Baylor's Roberto Maytin is also ranked, standing at 110th nationally. Maytin is 5-1 in dual match play and has won four-straight. Peers and Maytin also makeup the seventh-ranked doubles team in the country, while the tandem is 5-1 in dual matches and has won four-straight.
MSU will serve up against the Horned Frogs on Friday, Feb. 25, at 3:00 p.m. CT and will then square off against Baylor on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 1:00 p.m. CT. Live stats will be available at www.mstateathletics.com.