Men's Tennis Set To Host No. 5 Mississippi Saturday
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Looking to end its 2003 regular season on a high note, Mississippi State's 40th-ranked men's tennis team will host fifth-ranked, arch-rival Mississippi Saturday as part of Super Bulldog Weekend festivities. Match time is set for 1 p.m. at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
State is 7-11 overall this season, 3-7 in Southeastern Conference play. UM is 16-3, 8-2. The Bulldogs and Rebels have met 92 times in verifiable history, with the first recorded score in 1907. State leads the series 49-41-2. Mississippi, however, has claimed the last 10 meetings between the teams, a streak that started in 1999. The Rebels won a battle earlier this year, a 4-0 triumph in the sixth-annual River Hills Cup in Jackson.
MSU is led by junior all-American Romain Ambert who is 31-9 at the No. 1 singles position during his career and is currently ranked 17th nationally. A winner of his last five matches, he has been ranked as high as third during his career. He is backed up by senior Rene-Charles Combette, currently No. 116 in the country.
UM has three players ranked in the top 30 nationally in singles, led by senior Alex Hartman (No. 9). The Rebels also boast the nation's 11th-ranked doubles tandem in Hartman and Claes Lindholm.
"We have a big opportunity to finish the regular season on a positive note," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "But it will not be easy. Mississippi has a very talented team this season and has been playing well lately. They are clearly one of the best teams in the country.
"This is a match that we can win, but it will take a very focused effort from our players. We have been working hard this week and we hope our fans will come out and support us in our final home match."
State seniors Combette, Michael Hailey and Jerome Le Belicard, who will be playing their final home match, will be recognized as well.
Following Saturday's action, the Bulldogs and Rebels will gear up for the 2003 SEC Championship, to be held in Oxford next week, April 17-20. The bracket for the tournament will be determined Monday.