For Mississippi State’s tennis teams, spring break is just another week of matches, as both teams prepare for another round of SEC play.Men
A week after opening SEC play with two straight away losses, Mississippi State’s men’s tennis team looks to get back on track at home this weekend against Alabama and Auburn.
The Bulldogs lost 1-6 to No. 3 Georgia last Friday, as the 45th-ranked Ivan Bjelica picked up State’s lone point with a win over Georgia’s 8th-ranked Nate Schnugg.
Two days later, State dropped its second match of the weekend away to the 14th-ranked Tennessee. The 26th-ranked Bjelica again prevailed, this time over the 74th-ranked Kaden Hensel, while Chris Doerr also picked up a win for State in the 2-6 loss.
The losses put State at 4-4 for the season and broke a three game winning streak. All four of State’s wins have come at home, a fact not lost on head coach Per Nilsson as his team returns to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre this weekend.
“It’s good to be at home,” Nilsson said. “We finished really strong at Tennessee and feel good about where we’re at. We play really well at home.”
Nilsson is wary of the threat of their Alabama neighbors, with No. 20 Alabama coached by former Mississippi State grad Billy Plate, and Auburn ranked 23rd in the nation.
“Both teams are really well coached,” Nilsson said. “Alabama’s coach used to play here and their team is tough all the way through, especially in the doubles. Auburn’s right with them in the rankings, and should be just as tough to beat.”
Women
After eight consecutive home games, Mississippi State’s lady netters take to the road for the first time this season for matches against Alabama and Auburn.
The 5-3 Bulldogs had their best start to the season since 2005 halted with three straight losses to ranked opponents.
In its first SEC match last week, State was swept 4-0 by a Georgia side ranked 2nd in the nation before losing out 5-2 to 23rd-ranked Tennessee two days later. Despite the losses, State can take heart from its 45th-ranked doubles team of Martina Banikova and Elna de Villiers, who pulled out an 8-5 upset over Tennessee’s Caitlin Whorskey and Zsofia Zubor, ranked 2nd in the nation.
Elna de Villiers also picked up State’s second point of the latter match with a singles victory.
Alabama, with a 3-6 record in dual match play this season, is also coming off losses after its first round of SEC play, having lost 2-5 to LSU and 0-7 to Arkansas the previous weekend.
Auburn’s 41st-ranked Tigers are a different story, however, with just two losses on the season, and only one at home to No. 1 Georgia Tech. The team’s most recent match, albeit a 3-4 loss to No. 21 LSU, saw the 50th-ranked Fani Chifchieva earn her 10th straight win for Auburn.
State’s Martina Banikova will most likely be Chifchieva’s opponent, having gone 3-5 in the dual match singles play from the No. 1 position.
Sophomore and new recruit Radka Ferancova holds the Bulldogs best singles record, holding down the No. 3 position with six wins and two losses.