MSU?s Cash Earns SEC Freshman Of The Week Honors
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Behind a weekend that saw him go 4-0 in singles and doubles play, Mississippi State freshman Julian Cash was named SEC Freshman of the Week, the league announced Wednesday.
Cash picked up a pair of wins on the singles and doubles courts to help propel the 42nd-ranked Bulldogs to a sweep of play last weekend, defeating No. 55 Arkansas, 4-0, and Nicholls State, 6-1. The wins put State at 11-3 and 2-0 in the SEC, joining No. 3 Georgia as the final two remaining teams to be undefeated in conference play.
The efforts from the Brighton, England, native also moved the Bulldogs to their 21st win in their last 23 home matches and six of its last seven overall.
First off the court in all four matches, Cash earned two wins with teammate Florian Lakat at the No. 1 position and singles triumphs at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. The 46th-ranked duo helped MSU claim its 10th-straight doubles point, moving to 10-2 this season when doing so. The top MSU tandem moved to 1-0 in SEC play and 6-0 against ITA Southern Regional foes, while earning their 10th-overall win this year.
Individually in doubles play, Cash picked up his 15th-career doubles win with a defeat of Arkansas’ duo of Santiago Munoz and Branch Terrell. He also improved to 10-0 against regional opponents with a 6-3 victory against the NSU team of Kieran Cronin and Bernard Wezeman.
In singles, Cash improved to 3-1 in dual match play with his two victories. A 6-1, 6-4 win against Munoz gave Cash his first-career SEC win as well. He is now 5-0 overall at home in both singles and doubles, including picking up his first two home wins in singles action.
Cash and the No. 42 Bulldogs return to action on the road this weekend, travelling to No. 18 Florida and No. 39 Auburn. MSU is set for a 4 p.m. CT, first serve against UF on Friday, March 13. State and Auburn will face off on Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m.
For more information on Mississippi State men’s tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateMT.