After two years on the All-Sun Belt Conference first team, Mario Martinez Serrano is moving up to the Southeastern Conference, joining Mississippi State in the transfer portal.
Martinez Serrano is from Zaragoza, Spain, and was 43-5 in dual match singles play over two seasons with Troy. All but one of those matches came at the No. 1 position. He was the 2023 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and took it up a level as a sophomore, finishing 23-2 in singles and 20-5 in doubles.
“Mario’s record and results speak for themselves with what he has accomplished so far,” Bulldogs assistant coach Jake Jacoby said in a news release. “What is more exciting for us is that we are gaining someone with a relentless work ethic and hunger to improve and compete at every chance he gets. Mario is going to fit and enhance our culture immediately on and off the court.”
Last offseason, MSU added Dusan Milanovic out of the portal from Presbyterian, where he had been the 2022 Big South Freshman of the Year and the 2023 Big South Player of the Year. In his first season as a Bulldog, Milanovic was 13-10 in dual singles play and 5-6 against SEC foes, mostly at the No. 4 spot. He and Carles Hernandez were 14-8 in doubles matches and 7-4 in conference play.
MSU finished 19-8 in 2024 including a 9-3 mark in SEC play. The Bulldogs hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament as the No. 16 national seed and defeated Alabama State and Middle Tennessee before losing to No. 1 Ohio State in the third round.
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