#26 Bulldog Netmen Post Third Straight Upset; Down #20 Auburn On The Plains
MSU, now 8-3 overall this season (its best start in four years under head coach Sylvain Guichard), also grabbed its sixth win in seven outings. With the loss, Auburn (8-3, 0-3 SEC) dropped its third straight affair, all coming in SEC action. State evened the series with Auburn at 17-17 (since 1969) while posting its first SEC road win in two years.
Auburn gained the first point of the day by sweeping doubles play. The Tigers were led by the 21st-ranked duo of Gabor Zoltan Pelva and Alex Schweizer, who downed 32nd-ranked Bulldogs Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto 8-3 at the top position.
AU took a 2-0 lead in the contest when the 67th-ranked Pelva finished a 6-0, 6-3 win over State's Carvalho at the No. 1 singles position. State got on the board when Pinto claimed a 7-5, 6-3 win over Tiger Robbert Lathouwers at No. 3. It marked the MSU junior's fifth consecutive win. After the teams exchanged those straight-set wins, MSU and AU would play three-set affairs at the remaining four spots to decide the match and State would claim the first three of the four.
Evening the score at 2-2 for State would be true freshman Pierre Mouillon, who also notched his fifth straight triumph, downing Auburn's Nick Lane in a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 battle at the No. 4 position.
The Bulldogs would then get comeback victories from Ivan Bjelica and Florent Girod to secure the team win, as both overcame losing the first set to claim triumphs in their matchups. The sophomore Bjelica rallied to down Schweizer 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2. Girod, a junior, then completed a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 decision over Tiger Brett Hunter at No. 5. That win kept Girod's undefeated record this season intact, as he moved to 9-0 in dual match play.
In the last match to finish, Auburn's Tom George ultimately claimed a 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4 win over Bulldog Arnaud Roussel at the No. 6 position.
State was without the services of Philippe Frayssinoux Friday. The rookie, who has been MSU's No. 2 player of late, has been out with the flu. He is expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday in MSU's match at Alabama.
"Well, our team did it again, but this time they did it by coming from behind after getting down in singles, and they did it with one of our best players out of the lineup," Guichard said of his team's effort. "Auburn had the advantage in this match early and we did an outstanding job of both finishing the matches we had established leads in and continuing to fight in the ones we didn't.
"We are proud to be 3-0 in the SEC at this point, but we cannot let down. We have to continue to work hard like we have been lately if we expect to keep this level of success going. Alabama will be yet another tough test for us on Sunday in Tuscaloosa."
State continues its road swing through the SEC Sunday, meeting the 50th-ranked Crimson Tide at 1 p.m. that day at UA's Tennis Stadium. After a weekend off, MSU then goes to No. 6 Georgia (March 25) and No. 21 Tennessee (March 27) and No. 49 Arkansas (Apr. 1).
#26 MISSISSIPPI STATE 4, #20 AUBURN 3
DOUBLES - #21 Gabor Zoltan Pelva/Alex Schweizer (AU) def. #32 Luiz Carvalho/Jose-Carlos Pinto (MSU) 8-3; Nick Lane/Robbert Lathouwers (AU) def. Ivan Bjelica/Pierre Mouillon (MSU) 8-2; Tom George/Brett Hunter (AU) def. Florent Girod/Arnaud Roussel (MSU) 8-4.
SINGLES - t#67 Pelva (AU) def. Carvalho (MSU) 6-0, 6-3; Bjelica (MSU) def. Schweizer (AU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3; Pinto (MSU); def. Lathouwers (AU) 7-5, 6-3; Mouillon (MSU) def. Lane (AU) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5; Girod (MSU) def. Hunter (AU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; George (AU) def. Roussel (MSU) 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-