On a rainy Easter Sunday, the 23rd ranked Mississippi State Lady Netters downed 19th ranked Tennessee Lady Vols 4-2 in match play at McCarthy Gymnasium.
With the win MSU ends its 18-year winless streak against the Lady Vols and improves to 9-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play.
“Our players understand that when you ask for a lot, they raise their levels of play,” assistant coach Rene Vidal said of the upset victory. “Each player understands their roles on the team and is willing to contribute.”
The Lady Netters took the first point of the contest by sweeping doubles.
The 20th ranked duo of Zsuzsanna Fodor and Anastasia Kugkolova continued their five match win streak by defeating Sabita Maharaj and Bryce Marable 8-1 at the first spot.
At the second spot Polina Kokoulina and Magdi Rekasi defeated Melissa Schaub and Ghizela Schutte 8-0.
“The team is confident because we play hard, practice hard, and we enjoy being out there,” sophomore Tarryn Rudman said.
In singles, 21st ranked Fodor defeated 42nd Sabita 6-1, 6-0 at the top spot.
With the win, Fodor moved into second place for most singles victories in a season.
After dropping a set to Bryce 1-6, Rudman rallied to a 6-2, 6-2 victory.
At the fifth spot, Kokoulina sealed the team victory for the Lady Netters with a win over Ashley Robards 6-1, 6-2.
When asked if the team feels any pressure as they continue to move up in the rankings, Fodor said that the team enjoys playing for and with each other and there’s no pressure when you are having fun.
Next, the Lady Netters will host the Arkansas Razorbacks Friday, April 1 at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The schedule start time is 3 p.m.