Women
The undefeated Mississippi State women’s tennis team opens SEC play this weekend with away games at No. 22 Tennessee (5-2) and No. 2 Georgia (9-1).
MSU (8-0) comes into conference play on the longest winning streak in program history.
“We are definitely doing things better and better,” MSU coach Tracy Lane said. “But looking across the board in the SEC, they are all pretty strong. In the sport of tennis, this conference is really strong.”
Every tennis team is currently ranked in the top 75.
MSU starts with Tennessee, which sports reigning SEC freshman of the week, Natalie Pluskota. The Vols are led by No. 46 singles player Caitlin Whoriskey. She enters SEC play 5-2 on the season in both singles and doubles play.
“It is going to be tough,” MSU freshman Natalia Mayuk said. “We will have to fight but I think we are prepared for every match.”
Mayuk will match up against Whoriskey in the No. 1 doubles position.
Tennessee has dominated its recent opponents, having dropped only three points on its current three game winning streak which is made of wins over No. 51 Yale, No. 44 Indiana and No 26 Virginia.
MSU senior Daniela Juskova said the team has to treat the conference schedule the same as the non-conference, which produced eight consecutive wins.
“We just have to keep working hard,” Juskova said. “Everyone has played well, but our goal is to be the best. We know from previous years that we have to outwork these teams.”
Georgia has one of the most talented teams in the nation. Five of their six singles players are currently ranked in the top 100 collegiate players in the nation. UGA’s top singles player, No. 6 Chelsea Gullickson, has only lost once this season, against the nation’s top ranked player, Clemson’s Ani Mijacika.
Similarly, UGA as a team has only dropped the match it played against top-ranked Northwestern, having collected five wins over top 15 teams.
Radka Ferancova will look to extend her eight match unbeaten streak this season when she is matched against No. 44 Nadja Gilchrist in the third position.
“We have nothing to lose,” Ferancova said. “They are the favorites. They have the pressure but we are confident.”
Men
The men’s team (4-2) faces the toughest weekend of any team in the nation, welcoming No. 5 Tennessee and two time defending National Champion No. 4 Georgia to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Center.
“This is why you go to MSU- to play the best schools in the country,” MSU assistant coach Matt Hill said. “You can look at it as daunting or as an opportunity. Our guys see it as an opportunity.”
Hill said he believes the MSU pre-conference schedule, which included top-10 programs Southern California and Ole Miss, has prepared the team for the tough weekend.
“We are not surprised at seeing a top-five school,” Hill said. “When you play teams like this some teams get intimidated. We have a young team that will not.”
Tennessee (7-2) comes in on a two-match losing streak, having dropped home matches to No. 1 Virginia and an out of conference clash with No. 21 Kentucky.
Tennessee is lead by No. 9 John Patrick Smith. He collected 33 wins and a cabinet full of awards last season including SEC Freshman of the Year and national singles runner up. Tennessee also features No. 20 Boris Conkic, who is 7-1 on the year, dropping only one set in his seven wins.
MSU sophomore Antonio Lastre believes his team is prepared for the task ahead.
“We are prepared mentally, physically and technically,” Lastre said. “We are excited and nobody is afraid. We have had a couple of matches in Los Angeles and against Ole Miss to get ready. We can play with any team right now.”
Lastre begins conference play equal to Conkic, having gone 6-0 in doubles and 5-1 in singles this season.
The defending National Champions have only dropped the match they played against No. 1 Virginia, which they beat in last year’s NCAA Championship match. Georgia has a very young team this year, with only one junior and no seniors. Josh Varela is the lone veteran of the two championship teams.
Georgia has recently slipped from the No. 2 spot following 6-1 and 7-0 victories over Furman and Georgia Tech respectively.
MSU sophomore Artem Ilyushin, who will face No. 80 Javier Garrapiz in the third singles position, said he feels the team will use this SEC season to improve and build to the level which Georgia and Tennessee are at now.
“In the next two years we could be the best in the SEC,” Ilyushin said. “We are young and aggressive, and if we are mentally ready, then we can win.”
First serve against Tennessee is scheduled for 2 p.m. today. State meets Georgia at 1 p.m. Saturday.