Bulldog Netmen Set For Road Contests With Memphis And MTSU
State, currently ranked 54th in the latest ITA Rankings, is 1-1 this season. The Bulldogs opened up its season defeating UAB, before falling to fourth-ranked Mississippi in the River Hills Cup last week in Jackson. The Bulldogs are currently led by a pair of veteran juniors in Philippe Frayssinoux and Ivan Bjelica. Frayssinoux, currently ranked 31st-nationally, is 13-6 this season while 32nd-ranked Bjelica is 13-7.
Friday's matchup with Memphis marks the 26th meeting between the two programs. The Tigers hold a slight 13-12 advantage in the series but State has won the last four meetings dating back to the 1987 season. Memphis is 2-2 this season, dropping a pair of matches to SEC foes Tennessee and Vanderbilt before rebounding to beat UT Martin and Rhoades College. The Tigers are led by senior Garrison Pilant and sophomore Benedikt Fischer.
Middle Tennessee State enters Sunday's match with a 6-3 record and are 44th in the latest ITA Rankings. State is 15-1 all-time against MTSU with their lone loss coming two years ago in Starkville. The Blue Raiders are led by senior and 41st-ranked Andreas Siljestrom who is 6-0 in singles dual-matches this season. Siljestrom and fellow senior Marco Born are ranked 16th in doubles and are 6-0 in dual matches this spring.
Following this weekend's road trip, the Bulldogs will return home to host Louisiana Lafayette on Feb. 21. The match is slated for 2 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the MSU campus.