Bulldog Netmen To Host Top-Ranked Georgia Friday
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State men's tennis team returns to action Friday, hosting top-ranked Georgia to open the athletic activity for Super Bulldog Weekend. State will meet the nation's top-ranked team for the second time this year, after a meeting with #1 Florida earlier this season.
"There is no question that Georgia is one of the top teams in college tennis this year," said MSU head coach Sylvain Guichard. "They are an experienced team that is solid from top to bottom and we will have to play exceptional to have any chance at all."
State (4-10, 1-7), is coming off a pair of SEC losses last weekend to #19 Arkansas and #16 LSU. The Bulldogs dropped a close 4-3 match to the Razorbacks at home before falling to LSU on the road. Two Bulldogs entered the ITA rankings this week as junior Ivan Bjelica broke in at 81st while sophomore Pierre Mouillon is ranked 97th. Bjelica moved into the rankings after a win over 13th-ranked Razorback Adrians Zguns last week. The Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro native enters the weekend with a 16-13 overall record this season. He is 4-4 in Southeastern Conference play and 6-7 in dual matches. Mouillon is 18-11 this season including a 10-4 mark in dual matches and a 5-3 SEC record.
Georgia enters the match with a perfect 19-0 overall record including an 8-0 mark in SEC play. They are led by second-ranked junior John Isner. Isner is 33-2 overall this season including a 17-0 record in dual matches. Four other UGA players are ranked in singles. Sophomore Luis Flores is ranked 23rd, senior Strahinja Bobusic is ranked 50th, junior Matic Omerzel is ranked 61st and junior Ricardo Gonzalez is ranked 103rd. Three doubles teams are also ranked for UGA. Bobusic and Colin Purcell are ranked 10th, defending national champions Isner and Ruiz are ranked 12th and the tandem of Omerzel and Flores are ranked 23rd.
The match is set for 2 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on the MSU campus.