State Tennis Climbs To #21 In Latest Rankings; Hosts Ole Miss Saturday
State, 12-7 overall and 7-3 in the Southeastern Conference, has claimed the SEC Western Division title outright with one regular season match to play - a home showdown with 30th-ranked arch rival Ole Miss set for this Saturday, April 16, at 1 p.m. CT.
The Bulldogs have won seven of their last nine matches, with the only losses coming in 4-3 nailbiters against top 20 foes Florida and Georgia, and that stretch includes a 6-1 upset of fourth-ranked Tennessee.
"Our guys are continuing to play well, but we will need to remain very focused if we are to win this weekend," MSU head coach Per Nilsson said. "It's always tough against Ole Miss. We must be well-prepared. We can't stress enough how much we need everyone to come out and support our team in this very important match."
In addition to state bragging rights, a top four seeding at next week's SEC Championship in Gainesville, Fla., is on the line for the Bulldogs Saturday. If State defeats the Rebels, it would secure at least the #4 seed and a first-round bye in the tournament, which runs April 21-24 at the University of Florida.
Saturday's 1 p.m. affair will be play at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre and admission is free.
The new individual rankings were also released Tuesday and four Bulldogs are now among the nation's top 100 players. State's George Coupland climbed to 55th nationally in singles, Artem Ilyushin moved up to 66th and Louis Cant is up a spot to 76th. Making his debut in the rankings was rookie Malte Stropp, who came in at 89th. Cant and Stropp have each won nine straight matches.
In doubles, Coupland and Ilyushin are now the nation's 36th-ranked tandem. Cant and Stropp moved up to 53rd as a duo.