West Champion State Opens SEC Tennis Tourney Friday Vs. Host Florida
State, 13-7 overall and 8-3 in the SEC, claimed the SEC Western Division crown this season, going a perfect 5-0 in the division and registering the team’s best SEC record in 13 years. MSU has won eight of its last 10 matches, including three consecutive 5-2 victories to close the regular season against Auburn, Alabama and arch rival Ole Miss.
The host Gators, which downed 12th-seeded Arkansas 4-0 in Thursday’s first round, will enter Friday’s matchup at 15-8 overall. UF was 7-4 in the league this spring.
The Gators edged the Bulldogs 4-3 in a fierce battle on March 26 in Starkville in the teams’ only meeting this season and Friday's contest is expected to be another great matchup.
Four Bulldogs are ranked in the top 100 nationally in singles. State's George Coupland is 58th, Artem Ilyushin comes in at 59th, Louis Cant is 78th and true freshman Malte Stropp is 103rd. In doubles, Cant and Stropp are 33rd in the country, while Coupland and Ilyushin are 58th as a tandem.
Florida has three players ranked in singles in Alex Lacroix (8th), Sekou Bangoura Jr. (44th) and Nassim Slilam (93rd). Bangoura and Lacroix are the nation’s No. 29 doubles tandem.
The winner of Friday’s MSU-UF matchup will advance to Saturday’s semifinals to take on the winner between top-seeded (second-ranked) Tennessee and the #8 seed Ole Miss/#9 seed Vanderbilt winner. UM and VU were playing late Thursday to determine UT’s opposition on Friday.
Live results of the MSU-Florida affair will be available on mstateathletics.com.