STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State is set to host Alabama on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre for its final SEC regular-season match, honoring four seniors before the start of play, according to athletic communications.
The Bulldogs, ranked sixth nationally, hold a 40-26 all-time series lead over Alabama, including a 19-12 record in Starkville. Under head coach Matt Roberts, Mississippi State has dominated the series, winning 15 of his 17 meetings against the Crimson Tide, including his first 10.
The four seniors being honored are Petar Jovanovic, Mario Martinez Serrano, Michal Novansky and Benito Sanchez Martinez. These players have contributed to the program’s rise to national prominence, helping the team secure top-10 rankings and deep postseason runs.
Mississippi State features one of the most balanced lineups in college tennis, with five singles players and three doubles teams ranked nationally. No. 8 Jovanovic, No. 39 Martinez Serrano and No. 55 Sanchez Martinez lead the singles contingent, while the doubles team of Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez is ranked No. 4 nationally.
Alabama counters with key ranked players, including Matic Kriznik (No. 82) and Vit Kalina (No. 92) in singles. The doubles duo of Zimnokh and Kalina is ranked No. 8, and another pair, Olar and Zimnokh, is ranked No. 38.
Mississippi State notes include Sanchez Martinez being the only player nationally ranked in the top five for both singles and doubles. Jovanovic set the program’s all-time wins record with a victory over Tennessee, and head coach Matt Roberts has amassed 231 wins, the most in program history.
The Bulldogs opened the 2026 season with four consecutive road wins and have secured victories over ranked opponents throughout the season. They posted a school-record tying 25 wins in 2025 and are currently ranked sixth nationally in the ITA team rankings.
Follow Mississippi State Men’s Tennis updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram under the handle “HailStateMT.” The team is in its 102nd season, with an all-time record of 1,126-648-8.
