The Mississippi State men’s tennis team finishes its non-conference action this weekend hosting Memphis and Georgia State.
The Bulldogs (2-2) come into this weekend keeping focus away from next weekend’s meetings with national powerhouses Georgia and Tennessee.
“We are not ready now,” MSU head coach Per Nilsson said of his team’s preparations for the SEC openers. “We have not played very many matches, but we have two weeks to prepare.”
The Tigers (5-2) have had a season of very mixed results. Memphis has only dropped one point in its five wins, each over unranked teams. However, in its two losses, Memphis has only won one point. Against Vanderbilt, the Tigers failed to win a set before the Commodores clinched the match.
Georgia State comes to Starkville looking for the Panthers’ first win of the season. In three of Georgia State’s seven contests this year, the Panthers have not scored a point.
The Memphis and Georgia State matches will likely be the last time this season that MSU faces unranked teams. State’s first two SEC opponents are both currently ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis top five. Every SEC tennis team is currently in the top 75.
“These matches are scary,” MSU senior captain Ryan Farlow said. “It is going to be windy too, the conditions will not be favorable.”
Farlow starts as the No. 1 singles player for the Bulldogs, but he has only one singles win this season, against Ole Miss.
“We have to play the same as we have all year,” Nilsson said. “We cannot worry about Ole Miss and USC being in the top 10 and these teams are not being ranked.”
Nilsson said he believes his team played down against UAB, and it is important for his team to not underestimate its opponents this weekend.
“It doesn’t matter who is on the other side,” Nilsson said. “Our guys have to play with all they have.”
For the tennis team, the biggest goal is preparing for the tough SEC schedule which follows.
“We have to find four points [to get the win],” Nilsson said. “Every spot in the lineup has a chance to win. We didn’t have that last year.”
For the Bulldogs this season, the strength of the team has been in the depth. Seven of MSU’s 10 singles wins in four matches this season have come from the bottom half of the lineup.
Nilsson’s confidence in every spot in the lineup is no better manifested in junior Chris Doerr, reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, who plays singles in the sixth position.
“The pressure is on, these are the matches that we are supposed to win,” Doerr said. “Memphis and Georgia State are both underrated teams.”
Doerr won the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week award for his performance against UAB.
“It’s a privilege in a conference like this,” Doerr said. “There are so many great players in this league.”
Doerr collected his second doubles win of the season, helping MSU collect the doubles point for the second time this year. Doerr also impressively rallied from an early four game deficit to win his singles match by collecting 12 of the next 13 games. Doerr and doubles partner Tanner Stump handled UAB’s No. 29 nationally ranked doubles team 8-5.
“It is always great for the players to get recognized like this,” Nilsson said. “Especially for Chris after what he went through in the fall.”
Doerr teamed with sophomore Stump to post a 7-4 doubles record and reached the finals of the Southern Intercollegiate in Athens, Ga. and semifinals at the Crimson Tide Fall Invitational.
MSU takes the court at 2 p.m. today against Memphis and 1 p.m. Sunday against Georgia State. The Panthers and Tigers meet at 2 p.m. Saturday.