After both squads ended their respective regular seasons amid some disappointment, Mississippi State’s tennis teams go into this weekend’s Southeastern Conference Championships with a chance to erase recent history.
Men
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will be facing a rematch against 18th-ranked LSU for their first match of the SEC Championships.The tournament, hosted this year by Arkansas, involves all 12 SEC teams. State faces a bracket of its Western Division rivals in single elimination play for a chance at an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. Last season saw the Bulldogs shutout Vanderbilt in the first round, only to fall to eventual champion Georgia in the second round.
“We really need a big win, so this draw is perfect for us,” head coach Per Nilsson said. “I feel like we could have beaten them earlier in the year, so playing them again is a good opportunity for us.”
State has not won in six matches, but four of those matches ended with a 3-4 scoreline. State’s most recent match resulted in a loss by that same score to 7th-ranked Mississippi, after wins by Bjelica, Philippe Frayssinoux and Antonio Lastre were not enough to overcome the Rebels’ early lead.
“The conference is much stronger than it was last year,” Nilsson said. “Everyone can beat everyone, so no one really is an underdog.”
Bjelica and Frayssinoux head into the tournament in good form, ranked 16th and 48th in the nation respectively, and 39th as a doubles pair. Bjelica has won four straight singles matches against ranked opponents, while Frayssinoux leads the team with 24 singles wins this season.
Women
Mississippi State’s lady netters head into a first round showdown in the SEC Championship against 24th-ranked Tennessee.
The Bulldogs are 0-11 in SEC play this season, a stark contrast to their early season form that saw them capture five wins in a row.
Hosted by Auburn, the tournament features all SEC teams going head-to-head for the conference crown and an automatic NCAA berth. Winning the tournament remains the Bulldogs’ only chance of entering the national championships.