No. 29 Bulldog Netmen To Welcome No. 17 Georgia Friday Afternoon
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State's 29th-ranked men's tennis team will begin a very important three-match Southeastern Conference homestand Friday, hosting 17th-ranked Georgia at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. Match time between the Bulldogs and Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m.
Since opening the season with losses to current top 5 teams Baylor and Mississippi, State (7-3, 2-0 SEC) has won seven of its last eight matches. Most recently, MSU went 2-1 in play at the Blue-Gray National Collegiate Classic in Montgomery, Ala., last weekend, defeating Colorado and Notre Dame. MSU is 5-0 at home this season, including wins over Auburn and Alabama to start the SEC season.
Georgia will bring an 8-2 record (1-1 in SEC play) into Friday's clash. The Bulldogs from Athens have lost only to No. 19 North Carolina and No. 24 Arkansas thus far this year. In their most recent match, played Wednesday in Athens, UGA held off an upset bid from rival Georgia Tech (ranked No. 34), downing the Yellow Jackets 4-3.
UGA leads the series with MSU 37-5 in verified history (since 1969). Despite that commanding lead, State won the teams' meeting a year ago with a 5-2 victory in Athens, MSU's first at Georgia since 1966.
MSU is paced by two-time, all-American senior Romain Ambert, currently ranked 13th nationally in singles. Georgia's three-time, all-American senior Bo Hodge is 12th in the country. In doubles, State's Ambert and Florent Girod are currently the nation's 49th-best duo. UGA's Hodge teams with John Isner to form the country's fifth-ranked tandem.
"After a good showing in the Blue-Gray last week, we are ready to restart SEC play," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Georgia will be difficult to beat. They are playing very well this season and have a very talented team. We will have to play our best tennis to upset them. We encourage our fans to come out and support us in this important match."
Following Friday's match, State remains at home to close out their 2004 home slate with two more key conference matchups, hosting No. 27 Tennessee Sunday at 1 p.m. and No. 24 Arkansas next Friday, March 26, at 2 p.m.