After defeating both Middle Tennessee State University and Alcorn State in impressive fashion, the Mississippi State University women’s tennis team was able to continue its successful start to the season on Saturday. Due to inclement weather, both matches were played indoors at the McCarthy Gymnasium. With the victories, the Bulldogs improved their overall record to 9-1, good enough to equal their win total from the entirety of the 2013-14 campaign. 
Not even the change up in the scenery could slow the Bulldogs down against MTSU on Saturday, starting with their number two player in the lineup, Jasmine Lee. Lee was able to get it going early against her opponent Daria Shulzhanok, winning the first set 6-0 and following up with a nearly flawless second set 6-1, clinching the first point of the day.
On court number one, the 77th ranked player in the country, Georgiana Patrasc, overcame an early three-point deficit to Tiffany William, as well as a 7-3 tiebreak win, to eventually claim the advantage in the first set. She would follow this up by scraping out the second set 6-4, sealing the second point of the day for the Bulldogs.
Patrasc described the ups and downs she went through to secure her eighth singles win of the season.
“I had a pretty slow start, but I think I managed to come back pretty well,” she said. “I think I played pretty solid and fought hard in the first set. In the second set, I had to keep it coming because she didn’t slow down.”  
 Soon afterward, Martina Frantova continued the Bulldog dominance on court three. With the score in the first set tied at one apiece early against Jesse Grace, Frantova proceeded to win five straight points to take the set 6-1. The Slovakian sophomore did not relent much in the second set either, winning 6-2 and showing her full arsenal of skills in the process.
The last two matches against the Blue Raiders ended almost simultaneously, and both yielded the results the Bulldogs needed to pick up their eighth team win for the season. First, freshman Louise Ronaldson was able to fight through two demanding sets versus Guila Squlrin of the Raiders. The match-up was highlighted by Ronaldson winning the first set 6-3, after coming back from a 3-1 hole, and then marching through the second set tiebreaker 7-3 to officially seal the match for the Bulldogs.
 Minutes later, another Bulldog freshman, Jennifer Brown, took the third set of her match from Brittany Huxley 6-0, to add an exclamation point to the first leg of the day’s doubleheader. Brown claimed the match 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 to give MSU the 5-0 match victory.      
Head Coach Daryl Greenan spoke highly of his team’s effort and play on the courts versus MTSU, following the conclusion of the doubleheader.
 “We played outstanding against MTSU. They’re a good team, and we were expecting quite a grind. We just didn’t let them in it, as one and two went on first, with (Georgiana’s) tough match. I am very pleased overall with the performance.”
The second half of the double-header went just as smoothly as the first, with the Bulldogs taking the first point of the contest from the Alcorn State Braves, by winning the first two out of three doubles matches. The doubles team of Frantova and Naomi Tran coasted to a 6-1 victory while Lee and Alex Corder glided to a perfect 6-0 win in their match.
Singles would prove to be much of the same, as Lee would once again finish with a win quickly, beating Ivanna Boderic by the scoreline 6-1, 6-1 to seal the second point. After the match, Lee credited finding her rhythm in order to win the match.
 “She (Boderic) fought very hard, but I got my rhythm and that allowed me to play well today,” she said.
Patrasc wrapped up her match against Aida Telic soon after, with the scoreline 7-6, 6-0, giving her nine singles matches on the season. The final blow came from Bulldog sophomore Timea Guibe, who ousted Ekaterina Potopova in two sets 6-1, 6-3 to cap off the perfect day.
The Bulldogs will next start SEC play when they travel to Vanderbilt and Kentucky this weekend. Greenan spoke positively about his team’s mindset going into the difficult conference portion of the schedule.
“The SEC is so strong, and it has a way of keeping you humble. We’re better than last year, we’re playing well and we’ve been getting better every week,” he said. “The girls are fired up and we’re as ready as we could be going into SEC play. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”   
The matches will begin Friday at 5 p.m. at Vanderbilt, followed by an early 9 a.m. start on Sunday against Kentucky in Lexington.