#39 Bulldog Netters Down #31 Vandy To Go 2-0 In SEC
State, now 7-3 and 2-0 in Southeastern Conference action, bested theCommodores (8-3, 0-2 SEC) for the 18th time in the teams' last 20 meetings. VU had won each of the last two years when it went on to the NCAA finals (2003) and quarterfinals (2004).
The Bulldogs got to off to a good start Sunday, claiming the opening doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and 3 positions. At No. 2, Bulldogs Philippe Frayssinoux and Florent Girod registered an 8-3 win over Andy Mack and Ryan Preston. Then State's duo of Ivan Bjelica and Pierre Mouillon grabbed an 8-4 win over Commodores Matt Lockin and Jordan Magarik at No. 3.
In singles, Vanderbilt challenged State with some close contests, but MSU closed out three straight-set wins to finish off the win, and also came back to win a three-setter late.
Giving MSU a 2-0 lead was the true freshman Mouillon, who won his fourth consecutive decision with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Magarik at the No. 5 position. State went up 3-0 in the contest when the junior Girod continued his onslaught of opponents this year with a 6-1, 7-5 triumph over Mack at No. 6. Girod is now 8-0 in team matches this spring and has not dropped a set in those contests.
The match-clinching win would come at the No. 4 spot, where junior Jose-Carlos Pinto won for the fourth straight time, staving off set points in the first set to go on to a 7-5, 6-2 win over VU's Preston.
Vandy would claimed two of the last three matches on court, as Jason Pinsky won 6-1, 7-6(5) over Bjelica at No. 3 and 40th-ranked Scott Brown held off Bulldog senior Luiz Carvalho 7-6(1), 6-4 at the top spot. In between the conclusion of those matchups, the Bulldog rookie Frayssinoux finished off a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 rally, downing Lockin at No. 2.
"This was another very good win for us," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Vanderbilt is a good team and they had us on the ropes a little early in singles. But our guys did another great job of working hard and winningthe big points when we needed them. This was a big weekend for us and a great start to the SEC season, but this conference never gets easier. Now we must turn our attention to two tough road matches coming up next weekend."
State will start a four-match road swing this weekend, travelling to No. 15 Auburn this Friday, March 11, and then meeting No. 45 Alabama in Tuscaloosa this Sunday, March 13. After a weekend off, MSU then goes to No. 8 Georgia (March 25) and No. 18 Tennessee (March 27).
#39 MISSISSIPPI STATE 5, #31 VANDERBILT 2
DOUBLES
#35 Scott Brown/Jason Pinsky (VU) def. #15 Luiz Carvalho/Jose-Carlos Pinto (MSU) 8-6;
Philippe Frayssinoux/Florent Girod (MSU) def. Andy Mack/Ryan Preston (VU) 8-3;
Ivan Bjelica/Florent Girod (MSU) def. Matt Lockin/Jordan Magarik (VU) 8-4.
SINGLES
#40 Brown (VU) def. Carvalho (MSU) 7-6(1), 6-4;
Frayssinoux (MSU) def. Lockin (VU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4;
Pinsky (VU) def. Bjelica (MSU) 6-1, 7-6(5);
Pinto (MSU) def. Preston (VU) 7-5, 6-2;
Mouillon (MSU) def. Magarik (VU) 6-4, 6-2;
Girod (MSU) def. Mack (VU) 6-1, 7-5.
(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)