No. 26 MSU Looks To Keep Streak Going Against No. 45 Gamecocks
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Coming off the season’s best win on Friday against No. 6 Georgia, the 26th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-5, 7-2 SEC) go for their fifth-straight win when they host the No. 45 South Carolina Gamecocks (12-12, 2-7 SEC) on Sunday, April 5.
First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Bulldogs will also be going for their fifth-straight victory against the Gamecocks. All-time, MSU is 16-10 against USC and 8-4 at home.
The Bulldogs invite all Greek members to attend, with the largest-attending fraternity and sorority receiving prizes. Fans in attendance will also receive free wallet stickers.
State looks to close out the weekend with a win after a 4-2 upset of sixth-ranked and defending SEC champion Georgia to start the two-match homestand. State used stellar showings in doubles and singles to upend the visiting Bulldogs from Athens. MSU’s win was highlighted by the No. 14 duo of Julian Cash and Florian Lakat upsetting the nation’s No. 1 squad, 6-4, and victories from Rishab Agarwal, Mate Cutura and the clincher from No. 108 Lakat.
The win also marked the first time since 1996 that MSU has beaten Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee in the same season. The Bulldogs downed UT and UK in the regular season and defeated UGA in the SEC Championship. The last time MSU defeated all three in the regular season was 1993, when MSU won its last SEC title.
Individually, Agarwal leads the Bulldogs with 14 victories this spring and 20 for the overall season and currently is riding a seven-match winning streak. Also reeling off his seventh-straight win was Cutura, who has compiled an 11-3 record this spring and has a 7-0 SEC record, which ties Ole Miss’ Stefan Lindmark for best in the league.
No. 108 Florian Lakat remains at the top of the MSU lineup with an 12-5 record this spring, allcoming at the No. 1 position. Four of the sophomore’s wins have come against ranked opponents, including a season-high win against UGA’s No. 31 Austin Smith on Friday.
Juan Cruz Estevarena has been a solid contributor at the No. 2 position for the Bulldogs this season. The MSU freshman is 9-4 in dual matches. His fellow freshman Cash is 6-4 this spring and was a game away from capturing his seventh win against Georgia before Lakat clinched.
Senior Tassilo Schmid, ranked 122nd nationally, has earned four wins this season while playing mainly at the No. 3 position in the lineup.
MSU returned to its dominant ways in doubles on Friday, capturing the match’s opening point for the 16th time this season. State is 13-3 in 2015 when doing so.
The 14th-ranked duo of Cash and Lakat moved to 7-1 after their defeat of UGA’s No. 1 team of Smith and Ben Wagland. The win was the highest ranked victory since 2013, when State’s Malte Stropp and Jordan Angus defeated Auburn’s No. 1 tandem of Dan Cochrane and Andreas Mies.
Cutura and Schmid found themselves back in familiar territory on Friday, snapping a three-match skid to earn a 6-4 win. The duo is 11-3 this spring and 14-4 for the 2014-15 season. Rounding out the doubles order is the team of Estevarena and Robin Haden, who are 5-4 this spring after winning four of their last five matches.
No. 45 South Carolina looks to rebound after a 4-1 loss to No. 71 Alabama on Friday. Kyle Koch and Harrison O’Keefe lead the Gamecocks in singles play, both with 13 dual match wins. USC’s No. 31 duo of Koch and Thiago Pinheiro are 8-7 this spring and 11-7 for the overall season.
State will have two matches remaining in the 2015 regular season after Sunday’s contest. The Bulldogs will split next weekend, travelling to No. 17 Vanderbilt on Friday, April 10, for a 5 p.m. CT, showdown with the Commodores. MSU will close out the season with a Senior Day match against No. 24 LSU Sunday, April 12, at the Pitts Tennis Centre at 1 p.m., a contest rescheduled from earlier in the season due to rain.
For more information on Mississippi State men’s tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateMT.