Mississippi State University men’s tennis kicked off the season with a strong 4-0 win against Wichita State on Saturday during the ITA kickoff weekend tournament hosted in Starkville.
The match opened with an honorary first serve by MSU softball head coach Vann Stuedeman in remembrance of Alex Wilcox, a former MSU softball player who died of ovarian cancer in 2018. The Bulldogs also sported teal jerseys with “Wilcox” inscribed across the back to honor the athlete’s legacy.
Head coach Matt Roberts emphasized the significance of playing the match in Wilcox-inspired jerseys and how it helped the team bond together in support of her.
“Getting to play in those jerseys and play that match for Alex was really cool for us,” Roberts said. “We all compete as a team, all eight, and her number’s eight, so there’s a lot of symbolism in that.”
MSU started strong with victories in doubles by Nuno Borges and partner Strahinja Rakic as well as Trevor Foshey and partner Gregor Ramskogler, earning the Bulldogs one overall point going into singles.
“The doubles players did great with their serve returns, first balls and not allowing themselves to get in any holes,” Roberts said.
The battle in singles proved to be a little tougher, as Wichita State came out strong and the Bulldogs were either down or even on almost every court for the first 20 or 30 minutes of singles play, Roberts said.
However, the players stuck with what they knew to do and edged their way to the top. 
“Our guys did a great job just trusting themselves and just sticking to their game plan and problem-solving, and just trusting it,” Roberts said. “Next thing you know, the floodgates open a little bit and we created that momentum and from there it was, ‘Okay, let’s finish.’”
And finish they did. Borges was the first to earn a singles play point for the Bulldogs, followed by Braun, and finished out by Florian Broska who clinched the match to put the Wichita State Shockers in their grave with 0 overall points to the Bulldogs’ 4. 
Broska, a sophomore from Eitelborn, Germany, said he felt confident going into the match and that the team stayed true to themselves and their energy, resulting in a victory on the courts. Broska also emphasized the support the players gave each other while on the courts and how it helped him stay confident and energized. 
“We were just us. As always, we had a lot of energy,” Broska said. “It’s the first time I’ve played with Niclas over there, and it was pretty cool. We talked here and there, and we gave each other a bit of energy. I could hear Trevor on court five screaming to me and it was cool, we had a lot of support.”
Roberts said the players prepared well for the weekend and came into the match confident and ready to go, and it showed in their play.
“I thought the guys did a great job preparing for this match. They were loose, they were confident,” Roberts said. “We really stressed controlling what we can control. They came out today really focused and ready to play sharp, and I thought they did a great job with everything today.”
The Bulldogs continued their success on Sunday against the University of Arizona, as they won 4-1, punching their ticket to the national indoor championship in Chicago. It is the first time since 2017 and the 12th time in program history the team reached the National Indoor Championships. 
In a press release sent out by the MSU athletic department Sunday afternoon, Roberts said after the match the veterans of the team had really put them in a position to be successful at indoors. 
“Our seniors have done everything possible to put us in a good position to go to National Indoors,” Roberts said. “I’m really proud of how they’ve led this program and competed, and it’s very fitting to see Trevor be the guy to make that push today. I’m just really proud of all the guys, and we’ll turn right back around and get ready for another tough weekend at home next weekend.”