MSU Netmen Set To Conclude Regular Season At UK, Vandy
State, currently 7-10 overall, 2-7 in SEC play, has dropped seven consecutive league matches, five of which have come against current top 15 teams. That skid has been due, in large part, to the absence of two-time, all-American senior Romain Ambert in five of the seven contests. Ambert has been hampered by an ankle ailment for over a month and did not play singles or doubles at Mississippi this past Saturday. His return is questionable for this weekend.
Kentucky (16-7, 6-3 SEC) has been very solid this season with five of its seven losses having come to current top 10 teams. The Wildcats are led by junior Jesse Witten, the nation's eighth-ranked player at present. In doubles, Witten and Rahim Esmail form the country's 14th-ranked tandem.
Vanderbilt (13-10, 5-5 SEC) has been struggling a bit of late, as the Commodores have dropped four of their last five matches. All of the losses during that streak, however, have come to current top 20 squads. In fact, nine of VU's 10 setbacks this year have been against top 20 teams. The 'Dores have four players ranked in the top 80 nationally, led by senior Chad Harris (24th). In doubles, Harris and Scott Brown are rated 46th in the nation.
"We are excited about this weekend," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "We felt like we played very well at Mississippi Saturday and, if we continue to give that kind of effort, we will have a chance to end the regular season on a positive note."
Following this weekend's matches, State will return to the Music City next weekend (April 22-25) to compete in the 2004 SEC Championship, being hosted by Vanderbilt.