MSU?s Schmid Named ITA Southern Region Most Improved Player
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After dominating on the doubles court and picking up a number of notable wins in his senior season, Mississippi State’s Tassilo Schmid was named the ITA Southern Region Most Improved Player of the Year, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Tuesday.
Schmid, who joined the Bulldogs last season after two years at Tyler Junior College in Texas, finished his MSU career last weekend in Chapel Hill in State’s fifth straight and 24th overall appearance in the NCAA Championship.
“Hard to put into words the impact Tassilo had on this program,” MSU coach Matt Roberts said. “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Tassilo since he came to MSU and he has progressed so much on and off the court. He has become a great player and an even better leader to the other guys and a great example of what it is to be a Bulldog. Very proud he received this honor for his hard work.”
The honor now automatically puts Schmid into the running for the ITA National Most Improved Player of the Year award, which will be announced May 19.
In his two years as a Bulldog, Schmid accumulated 20 singles victories and 31 doubles wins, with 42 of those wins coming in dual match play. From his junior to senior season, Schmid saw his greatest improvement on the doubles court. In 2014, Schmid posted a 12-15 doubles record with 11 of those wins coming in the spring. This season Schmid put up a doubles record of 19-7, including a 15-5 posting this spring with teammate Mate Cutura.
After a 3-1 showing in the fall which saw them reach the quarterfinals of the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Doubles Championship, Cutura and Schmid started off the spring with a 10-0 ledger. The hot start shot the duo up to as high as 46th in the ITA National Doubles Rankings. The Bulldog tandem found its groove again in the closing weeks of the year, finishing the year by winning five of their last seven. Schmid closed his time with Cutura with a record of 18-6 and a winning percentage of .750, which is second best in MSU history.
In singles play, Schmid has made a great impact, clinching five Bulldog victories in his two seasons, including MSU’s two wins against in-state rival Ole Miss. This past season, Schmid came back from a set down and then a break down to defeat UM’s William Kallberg, clinching State’s 4-1 defeat of the No. 13 Rebels.
Schmid also made his ITA National Singles Rankings debut this season behind a three-set upset of Vanderbilt’s ninth-ranked Gonzales Austin. Schmid jumped as high as 63rd and remained in the rankings for five-straight releases.
While Schmid’s career has come to a close, the Bulldogs season is not finished just yet. MSU’s Julian Cash and Florian Lakat will represent State in the 2015 NCAA Individual Championships. The sixth-seeded duo became the Bulldogs’ 22nd and 23rd ITA All-Americans with their top 8 national seeding. Lakat is also a fourth alternate for the singles draw. The draws will be released following the conclusion of the NCAA Team Championship Finals on May 19, with the individuals set to begin May 20.
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