No. 10 MSU Tennis To Host Pair Of SEC West Foes This Weekend
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's 10th-ranked men's tennis squad (14-4, 5-1 SEC) is set to host a pair of SEC Western Division opponents in 27th-ranked LSU (11-7, 2-4) on Friday and No. 39 Arkansas (12-7, 1-5 SEC) on Sunday.
Match times are set for 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the MSU campus.
Following an impressive weekend sweep of Florida and South Carolina, MSU finds itself ranked in the national top 10 for the first time since being ranked third in March of 1999.
A senior threesome leads the charge for MSU including 15th-ranked Artem Ilyushin, No. 44 Louis Cant and 46th-ranked George Coupland. Ilyushin is now a perfect 6-0 in SEC play, while winning nine out of his last 10 matches, eight of which have come against ranked opponents.
Cant and Coupland have also posted impressive results this season with Cant posting a 14-2 slate thus far while going 4-2 in conference play. Coupland has compiled a similar record at 14-3 while posting a 4-2 record in SEC action as well.
State's 67th-ranked sophomore Malte Stropp has also contributed to MSU's success as he climbed 46 spots in this week's ITA poll.
In doubles, the 32nd-ranked tandem of Cant and Stropp has battled mostly in the top spot for MSU and holds a 5-1 record in SEC this season. Also fighting their way into the rankings for the first time this season is duo of Coupland and Ilyushin, coming in at No. 43.
In Friday's match for LSU, a trio of players is amid the nation's elite including No. 55 Olivier Borsos, 73rd-ranked Neal Skupski and No. 98 Chris Simpson. In doubles action, the 54th-ranked combo of Borsos and Simpson lead the charge as the No. 72 tandem of James Tuberville and Skupski are close behind.
In the overall campaign, the Tigers hold a 33-10-1 advantage against MSU with the Bulldogs taking a 5-2 decision in the most recent meeting last spring in Baton Rouge.
Live stats of both weekend affairs will be available at www.hailstate.com. Also, follow @mstateMT on Twitter for live updates.