After winning its first nine matches of the season prior to Southeastern Conference play, Mississippi State is finding out the hard way that the SEC is a nonstop grind. The Bulldogs were shut out 7-0 on Friday at No. 19 Vanderbilt, then fell 4-3 at Missouri on Sunday.
Sophomore Jayna Clemens was the only MSU player to win a set against the Commodores, pushing her match to a super-tiebreak at No. 4 singles. The other matches were all decided in straight sets.
The Bulldogs then fell into an early hole against the Tigers — the only SEC team they beat last year and the only team picked to finish below them in this year’s preseason poll. Freshman Gianna Oboniye and sophomore Athina Pitta started things off with a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles, but freshman Emma Cohen and senior Alessia Tagliente fell by the same score at No. 3, and Clemens and sophomore Chiara Di Genova lost 7-5 at No. 2 to give Missouri the first point.
Freshman Carolina Troiano lost her first dual singles match of the year at No. 4 as the Tigers took a 2-0 lead, then Maria Rizzolo dropped a pair of tight sets at the No. 2 spot. Oboniye kept MSU alive with a three-set win at No. 1 singles, and Tagliente came back from a set down to win her match in three at No. 3. But Di Genova fell in straight sets at No. 5 to clinch the match for Missouri. Clemens earned the Bulldogs a consolation point with a win at No. 6.
MSU (9-3, 0-3 SEC) hosts rival Ole Miss on Friday, then has two more home matches on Sunday against No. 10 LSU and Eastern Kentucky.
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