For Mississippi State University seniors Zach White and Malte Stropp, it was a pair of thrilling singles matches. Between White’s third-set rally Saturday and Stropp’s come-from-behind victory Sunday, the No. 13 MSU men’s tennis team (4-0) swept the weekend. The wins came over the No. 26 Harvard Crimson, and the No. 21 Memphis Tigers. MSU hosted the two along with No. 18 South Carolina for the ITA Kick-off Weekend.
 With the wins, MSU advances to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Houston, Texas, Feb. 13-16. This is the second-straight year the Bulldogs have advanced to the championship.
Before facing off in the ITA Championship, the Bulldogs will travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face No. 53 Texas Tech and Rice on Jan. 31.
Head Coach Per Nilsson said the win is reflective of how he is trying to build his program.
 “It means a lot because it shows the guys are buying in here and they believe in what we are doing,” Nilsson said. “They are improving, and that is important to us.”
 Comebacks were a theme for the Bulldogs the entire weekend, and Nilsson said the team expected a close match entering Sunday.
“I had them (Memphis) favored to win the match, especially after losing the doubles point it did not look very good,” said Nilsson. “The team has come together amazingly quick over the past couple of weeks. There is not a point that they are not fighting their butts off.”
 Inspired by the support of his teammates in Saturday’s action, White said he turned in a gritty performance. 
“It was a battle throughout the entire match,” White said. “I just came out on top because of everyone supporting me.” 
White was key in winning the first match of the weekend against the Crimson. The senior pieced together a thrilling comeback, from down 3-2 in the third set, and 40-15 in the next game. Rallying, White tied the set at 3-3 and pressed on to victory from there, winning the match and giving MSU the win 6-4, 5-6(1), 6-3.
MSU hosted Harvard last year in the first round of the NCAA tournament, and Nilsson said he knew his team would struggle against the Crismon.
 “We knew it was going to be really difficult. We had a tough time with them (Harvard) last year and, with such a young team this year, I knew it was going to be a battle,” Nilsson said. “But I’m really proud of the guys for the way they came out, and what an amazing finish to the match.”
 On Sunday, though, the hero of the day was the fiery Stropp, coming from behind in both sets against Memphis Tiger Joe Salisbury. Down 5-3 in the first set, Stropp came roaring back to claim the set. That would be the narrative of the match, as Stropp would come from behind to win again.
After sitting out in the first weekend of competition due to injury, Stopp said he rode the support of fans and teammates to get the win.
 “I am kind of injured right now, but the team chemistry helps so much, them being so energetic. You just want to win for your team. You want to win for your school,” Stropp said following the victory. “You do not even feel the pain anymore when you are out there and everyone is supporting you. That is actually why I won today.”