For the second straight season, Mississippi State will host the ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Rula Tennis Pavilion in 2025, and this time the Bulldogs are hoping for better results.
MSU finished 19-8 this past spring and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament, but the ITA Kickoff Weekend in late January was the lowest point of the Bulldogs’ season, as MSU lost 4-3 to Virginia Commonwealth and 4-1 to Florida State.
In next year’s event, the Bulldogs will take on Pepperdine on Jan. 25 and then battle either North Carolina State or Southeastern Conference foe LSU the following day. The winner of the four-team tournament will advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Dallas and Waco, Texas, in February. MSU last reached that event in 2019.
The Bulldogs finished the 2024 season ranked No. 13, with the Wolfpack at No. 18. The Tigers and the Waves also made the NCAA Tournament and finished in the top 50.
MSU last faced Pepperdine in 2003 and has a 3-2 edge in the all-time series against the Waves, all on neutral courts. The Bulldogs have won both previous meetings with NC State, defeating the Wolfpack at the 2015 ITA Kickoff Weekend in Berkeley, California, and in 2017 in Starkville. LSU leads the all-time series with MSU 36-23-1, but the Bulldogs have won eight of the last nine matches against the Tigers.
“We’re excited to be able to host ITA Kickoff Weekend again,” MSU head coach Matt Roberts said in a news release. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for our team to square off against some top-notch competition early in the season and also for our fans to see some of the premier teams in the nation compete on our courts. We’re looking forward to this challenge and testing ourselves against other elite programs to help us continue preparing for conference play.”
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 36 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 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
