No. 41 State Women?s Tennis To Host Sunday Doubleheader
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Following the cancellation of Saturday’s match against Auburn due to rainy conditions, the 41st-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs will return to action Sunday, March 15, as MSU hosts No. 6 Alabama and Alabama A&M in a doubleheader.
Sunday’s action at the Pitts Tennis Centre is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT against the Crimson Tide, with the following match against Alabama A&M sated for a 5 p.m. start. Live stats will be provided via hailstate.com.
The Bulldogs (11-3/2-2 SEC) enter this weekend ranked 41st nationally, the team’s highest ranking in over nine years (since Jan. 31, 2006), when the Bulldogs were ranked at No. 33.
After dropping her SEC opener against Vanderbilt, sophomore transfer Jasmine Lee has been solid ever since, winning three straight conference matches. Lee is 9-1 overall and 3-1 in the SEC, with all of her wins coming at the No. 2 slot. Sophomore Martina Frantova is also on a winning streak of her own, sitting at 2-2 in the SEC and 9-3 overall, with seven of those wins coming at the No. 3 position.
Another Bulldog that continues to perform well is freshman Jennifer Brown at the No. 5 position. Brown is 10-2 in dual match play so far and 2-1 in the SEC after earning the team-clincher against Arkansas last Sunday. Although both of her matches last weekend were suspended, sophomore Timea Guibe continues to dominate at the No. 6 slot, sitting at 9-0 in dual match play and 2-0 in the SEC. Guibe is the only remaining Bulldog that holds an undefeated record in singles.
Rounding out the singles lineup is junior Georgiana Patrasc at the top position and freshman Louise Ronaldson at No. 4. They are 9-4 and 7-5, respectively, in dual matches this spring.
Doubles play continues to be a driving force for State, as the Bulldogs have taken the doubles point 11 times in 12 contests where doubles have been contested this season. The Bulldogs are 23-6 in dual match play this season and 6-2 in the SEC. Frantova and senior Naomi Tran anchor the No. 1 slot for the Bulldogs at 7-4 in dual match play, while the duo of Lee and Patrasc are 5-1 on the season and 2-1 in SEC action.
Alabama enters the weekend at 12-2 overall and 4-1 in the SEC. The No. 6 Crimson Tide earned their third consecutive SEC win on Friday, defeating Ole Miss 4-1 in Oxford. Alabama is led by a trio of nationally ranked players in singles, including 26th-ranked sophomore Erin Routliffe, who comes in at 7-2 in dual match play and 4-1 in the SEC. Behind her is 48th-ranked Maya Jansen and 54th-ranked Danielle Spielmann, with both players combining for a 13-4 dual match record and a 4-2 SEC start. All three players anchor the top of the Crimson Tide lineup. Jansen and Routliffe also make up Alabama’sixth-ranked doubles tandem and the duo has started the season at 11-0.
Alabama A&M enters Sunday with an 0-5 record. MSU and Alabama A&M faced off for the first time last season, with MSU earning a 7-0 victory on Feb. 22.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.