Despite putting forth a strong performance against No. 26 Ole Miss, the Mississippi State University women’s tennis team dropped a 4-2 decision to the Rebels to open a three-match home stand at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre Sunday.
With the loss, the Lady Bulldogs fell to 9-10 and 1-8 in conference play and are set to host No. 4 Florida and No. 56 South Carolina Friday and Sunday, respectively.
MSU started the day with strong play in doubles. Trailing on each court, the Lady Dogs rallied in two match tiebreakers to grab the first point of the day. MSU junior Petra Ferancova and sophomore Georgiana Patrasc knocked off Ole Miss’s No. 76 duo of Julia Jones and Zalina Khairudinova 8-7 (2). Just seconds later, MSU’s No. 40 tandem of senior Alexandra Perper and junior Naomi Tran defeated Rebels Erin Stephens and Iris Verboven 8-7 (1).
Perper and Tran notched their fourth doubles win of the year, and Tran said execution is part of their success.
“Our biggest thing is executing,” she said. “If we get into the point and we take over the next, I think we’re in good shape against anyone.”
The Rebels quickly responded in singles play with a couple of single match wins to claim a 2-1 lead. But MSU began a rally as Patrasc defeated Khairudinova 6-3, 6-1 to tie the match.
Patrasc, who is 6-1 in SEC play, said the singles point win was encouraging as she strives to improve with each match this season.
“I think overall this semester I have had a good season,” Patrasc said. “I’m working to get to the NCAAs, and this was another step toward achieving my goal.”
Despite a strong effort to scratch out another point, the Rebels claimed two more matches and set the 4-2 final.
Head Coach Daryl Greenan said he was proud of the way his team fought, even though it was not the outcome he hoped for.
“It was a great battle. I’m proud of the girls and the way they fought,” he said. “That was a big win for us to get the doubles point, and it put us in a position to give us a chance to win. We came up short, but we did fight hard, and we played pretty well.”
Greenan also said his team is improving every week and looks forward to seeing the Lady Dogs finish strong before the SEC tournament.
“They really have been fighting all year long and playing pretty well at home. Hopefully that home-court advantage helps us out a little bit. It’s nice to see a good turnout in the stands (Sunday). Hopefully more will come out and support us next weekend,” he said. “We’re playing better every week, and hopefully that continues down the stretch.”
The Lady Bulldogs will honor a pair of seniors Sunday against South Carolina during Senior Day. Greenan said seniors Perper and Rosie Dion have displayed leadership all season, and he feels proud of what they have accomplished at MSU.
“We’ve had great leadership this year, and that comes from our seniors. And they’ve done a tremendous job in their careers here at Mississippi State,” Greenan said. “They’re part of our growth. We’re getting better, and they are a part of that. They’ve led by example, and they mean a lot to our team.”
Perper, who has nine single-match wins this season, said it is important to her to close her MSU career on a strong note.
“I’m really concentrating on finishing well and playing my best tennis,” she said. “Hopefully next weekend will be a good weekend, and we can beat Florida and South Carolina.”