Netmen To Host Vanderbilt In SEC Battle Sunday
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Having won four of its last five matches, Mississippi State's 39th-ranked men's tennis team will host 31st-ranked Vanderbilt Sunday on campus. Match time between the Bulldogs and Commodores is set for 1 p.m. CT at State's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
MSU (6-3, 1-0 SEC) is coming off an impressive 5-2 upset of 12th-ranked Kentucky Friday afternoon in Starkville. The Bulldogs dropped the doubles point in that contest, but claimed wins in five of the six singles matchups for the victory.
Vanderbilt will enter Sunday's contest with an 8-2 overall record, 0-1 in SEC play. The Commodores dropped a 7-0 decision to fifth-ranked Mississippi on Friday in Oxford in their SEC opener, but have been very solid this season overall.
State holds a commanding 30-7 lead over VU in recorded history (since 1969), but the Commodores have claimed the last two meetings between the teams. Prior to that, the Bulldogs had won 17 consecutive decisions over VU.
"We had a big win Friday against Kentucky. We have enjoyed that win but now it's time to move on," MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard said. "Vanderbilt is a very dangerous team. They were top 20 in the preseason and only dropped to their current ranking because of a close loss on the road last week. They will be every bit as tough as Kentucky was on Friday."
Following Sunday's matchup, State hits the road for a four-match SEC road swing. The Bulldogs will be at No. 15 Auburn (March 11), No. 45 Alabama (March 13), No. 8 Georgia (March 25) and No. 18 Tennessee (March 27).