For the third straight year, there will be postseason tennis in Starkville, as Mississippi State secured the No. 12 national seed and the right to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend.
The Bulldogs (22-5) finished 11-3 in Southeastern Conference play, tied for second place in the expanded SEC behind Texas. MSU took care of business in the non-conference slate, losing only to a ranked North Carolina State team, and overcame a somewhat slow start to SEC play by winning seven matches in a row to end the regular season.
Juniors Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez were both named to the all-SEC first team and are the No. 1 ranked doubles team in the country. Freshman Niccolo Baroni was named to the all-conference second team as well as the all-freshman team.
“We’re physically fit, we’ve gotten stronger over the season, mentally getting tougher on every court,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “We’re feeling closer as a group. We’ve gone through a lot of tough battles together on and off the court. They’re pushing each other in practice, so we’re feeling strong to make a last push here.”
Dusan Milanovic, the Bulldogs’ lone senior, plays the No. 4 singles spot behind Baroni, with junior Mario Martinez Serrano at No. 5 and usually freshman Bryan Hernandez Cortes at No. 6. Martinez Serrano partners with Baroni at No. 2 doubles, and Milanovic and junior Michal Novansky round out the lineup at No. 3.
MSU will face New Orleans in the first round Friday at 1 p.m. The Privateers (15-7) won the Southland Conference Tournament to make it to this point, and the winner of Friday’s match will face either Michigan State (16-9, 10-3 Big Ten) or North Alabama (19-3, 8-0 Atlantic Sun) at the same time Saturday.
“New Orleans, we have to be ready to go and stay focused with that match, take care of business,” Roberts said. “Michigan State made the semifinals of their (Big Ten) Tournament as well. Great team. We should be outdoors, which is always nice for us. They play a lot indoors. We have to be ready to go. Looking forward to two great matches. The draw is fair with our seeding and who’s coming here.”
If the Bulldogs advance out of the regional, they will likely travel to play No. 5 seed Ohio State in the round of 16 the following weekend. The Buckeyes eliminated MSU in the third round last season.
The first- and second-round matches add to an already jam-packed Super Bulldog Weekend in Starkville. MSU softball closes out the regular season against rival Ole Miss, while baseball hosts Kentucky in its first SEC series under interim head coach Justin Parker. The annual Starkville Daschund Derby will also be held Saturday in the Cotton District.
“We’re hoping this weekend is going to be a great atmosphere. We have Super Bulldog Weekend here, so Friday and Saturday, both matches at 1, should be a great weekend,” Roberts said. “The weekend is perfect for this host opportunity. Baseball, softball, a lot of things going on. Timing the matches at 1 each day should be good for a lot of fans who may not have been to a tennis match to come out, see tennis, and then be able to go to baseball or softball.”
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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
