STARKVILLE — Chris Hooshyar has learned a lot about being a head coach in the year and a half since he was hired at Mississippi State in the summer of 2023.
The Bulldogs were coming off a winless record in Southeastern Conference play, and MSU avoided the same fate last spring by beating Missouri in their regular-season finale. But whether it’s confidence, delusion or a mixture of both, the former Auburn assistant truly believes he can turn the Bulldogs into a championship-caliber program.
“We’re in this in the long game,” Hooshyar said. “I want to win championships here. I want to win an SEC (title) more than anything. I know we aren’t there right now. But where are we going to be in three years, four years, five years? The best thing about our league is we get shown every week where we need to be and what the gaps are. It’s not like we play in a conference where we don’t know what it takes to win.”
MSU, which opens the season Saturday at home against Bellarmine and Samford, has just two seniors on the roster and seven underclassmen. Maria Rizzolo, in her third season as a Bulldog after transferring from Minnesota, won three SEC singles matches last season — more than anyone else on the team. She was also 5-3 overall at the No. 1 singles position.
Rizzolo and MSU’s other senior, Alessia Tagliente, were 2-3 in conference play as a doubles pairing.
“The main thing I’m working on is my backhand, and the footwork and how to be in position for each ball that I get with the backhand,” Rizzolo said. “I’m really working on my serve and committing to it. But for me, seeing as it’s my last semester here, it’s mainly just making sure I have fun on the court and have the best semester I can before I leave.”
Sophomores Jayna Clemens, Athina Pitta and Ava Rath also return. Clemens was one of just two Bulldogs with a winning record in dual matches last year, playing toward the back of the lineup. Pitta most often played at No. 4 singles, while Rath only saw action once during the spring season as a freshman.
MSU added sophomore Chiara Di Genova in the transfer portal from Florida State, and she joins freshman Emma Cohen, Gianna Oboniye and Carolina Troiano as the Bulldogs’ newcomers.
“All of them are going to really do a great job,” Tagliente said. “All of them will do a great job in their ways, and I know we can trust them, so I’m really excited to see what’s next.”
Hooshyar’s team will not leave Starkville in non-conference play. MSU opens SEC play on Feb. 23 at Alabama, with the conference home opener coming on Mar. 7 against rival Ole Miss. Auburn will host the SEC Tournament from Apr. 16-20.
The Bulldogs were picked 15th in the SEC preseason poll, ahead of only Missouri. Three SEC teams advanced to the national semifinals last year, with Texas A&M defeating Georgia for the championship. UGA and A&M are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the ITA preseason rankings, and eight more SEC teams are in the top 25.
“We’re going to be putting these girls through a lot of matches,” Hooshyar said. “You have to learn to be in those situations where you’re maybe looking defeat in the eyes, and how do you come back? How do you fight through it? How do you close these people out? I don’t want to go into SEC play not having played challenging 50-50 matches.”
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