STARKVILLE — Not too long ago, it was assumed the Mississippi State University men’s tennis program would get to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.
MSU coach Per Nilsson remembers when he played for the Bulldogs and the team advanced to the national semifinals in 1994.
Now MSU will try to make it out of the NCAA Regional round for the first time since 2001.
“(Other coaches in the SEC) “They’re excited we’re back where we used to be,” said Nilsson, MSU’s fifth-year coach. “I think they’re impressed — with what we have here — that we’re able to do so well because they know our limitations.”
Some of those limitations are the lack of an indoor facility, large stadium crowds, and a tradition of success.
“I think they’re a little bit scared we’re doing it,” Nilsson said. “That’s awesome.”
MSU will open the tournament at 2 p.m. today against Alcorn State at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. A win today would push MSU into the second round Saturday against the winner of the match between No. 28 Baylor University and No. 32 University of Memphis.
MSU received the No. 9 seed in the 64-team NCAA Championship, which concludes May 18-22 with four rounds in Athens, Ga. It is MSU’s highest seed since it was a No. 4 seed in 1998.
“I tell the guys pretty much every day the goal is not to do well in this tournament,” Nilsson said. “It’s to win it. We’re going to be disappointed no matter what the round if we lose. The goal is to win the tournament, and we can if we get hot and play well then we can.”
Baylor, which features three freshmen in its six-player singles lineup, is making its 15th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. The Bears (17-11) are ranked No. 28 nationally, and have been to four of the past eight NCAA Final Fours, including a national title in 2004 and a runner-up finish in 2005. This is the first time since 2001 the Bears aren’t a top-16 seed.
Memphis (19-5) is coming off a 4-0 loss to the University of Tulsa in the title match of the 2012 Conference USA Men’s Tennis Championship. This is the Tigers’ first NCAA tournament appearance.
This is the second year in a row MSU has advanced to the NCAA tournament, and the program’s 21st appearance. Last year, MSU reached the tournament for the first time since 2005.
“That one year of experience helps the guys and let them see these top schools aren’t better than us,” Nilsson said. “Everybody is returning from last year, so we’re better.”
MSU is playing host to the first and second rounds of the NCAAs tournament for the first time since the bracket expanded to regional play in 1999.
“We had a huge crowd for the SEC tournament, but I could tell there was a lot of people that had never been to a college match before,” Nilsson said. “We don’t want them quiet. We want them loud. You can cheer and you don’t have to whisper like a pro match, and I think that’s why a lot of people like it. It gets rowdy up there.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.