Bouncing back is the name of the game. The 39th ranked Mississippi State men’s tennis team did exactly that.
They bounced back from a poor outing one week ago to down 12th ranked Kentucky Wildcats and 31st ranked Vanderbilt Commodores 5-2 and 5-2 this weekend at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Netmen improve to 7-3 overall and 2-0 in SEC play.
The Wildcats took the first point of the contest Friday by taking two of the three doubles matches.
In singles, freshman Philippe Frayssinoux evened the contest at one all with a victory over Matt Emery at the second position 6-1, 6-0.
That set the stage for an epic battle which was highlighted by sophomore Ivan Bjelica’s upset of 41st ranked Nate Emge 6-4, 6-2 at the third spot.
After dropping the first set 4-6 to Alex Hume, freshman Pierre Mouillon sealed the victory by outlasting Hume 6-3, 6-1 at the fifth position. “It feels good to bounce back,” Moullion said.
Netmen head coach Sylvain Guichard was pleased with the way his team played.
“Our team did a great job of working to finish their matches, and that’s a big step forward for us. We are gaining valuable experience every time we play,” Guichard said. “Now we have to turn around and get ready for another big challenge Sunday against a talented Vanderbilt team.”
On Sunday the Netmen withstood the challenge from the Commodores by taking the first point of the contest with doubles victories from Girod/Frayssinoux at the second spot and Bjelica/Mouillon at the third spot, 8-3, 8-4, respectively.
In singles, the Netmen never looked back as they ran off three consecutive victories.
Girod maintained an unblemished record for the season by defeating Andy Mack 6-1, 7-5 at the sixth spot.
“Last week was very tough. But coming into the season, we knew we had talented players. By us supporting each other and practicing hard we were prepared,” Girod said.
Girod continued by saying “we have good things to do in the SEC. As long as we keep practicing hard and playing and matching the intensity of this weekend, there is no reason why we can’t win in the conference.”
At the fourth spot, junior Jose-Carlos Pinto preserved the victory with his fourth consecutive win by defeating Ryan Preston 7-5,6-2.
“Coming into the year we knew we had a young team and we’ll have hiccups along the way,” Guichard said. “I’m not surprised that we won. We have the talent and we’re at the level to compete because we place a big accent on preparation.”
The Nettmen will take their show on the road to play 15th ranked Auburn Tigers on Friday and then to play 45th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday.