Mississippi State Men’s Tennis Rises to No. 5, Hosts South Alabama Wednesday

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State’s men’s tennis team is set to host South Alabama on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The match was rescheduled from Feb. 7.

The Bulldogs climbed to No. 5 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings after facing five consecutive ranked opponents. They posted a 3-2 record during that stretch, with notable wins over No. 4 Stanford, No. 23 Florida, and No. 37 Vanderbilt.

Mississippi State is looking to rebound after a 4-3 loss to No. 3 Texas on Monday. The Bulldogs split their previous two Southeastern Conference matches, beating Vanderbilt and falling to Texas in a close contest, which was one of their most competitive outings of the season.

The upcoming match against South Alabama features a Jaguars team with a 2-4 record. Their losses have come against LSU, Florida Atlantic, James Madison, and Old Dominion, while their wins include victories over Southern University and Jackson State.

Mississippi State will aim to use its home-court advantage as it prepares for a return to conference play Sunday at Auburn. The Bulldogs also celebrated several program milestones, including head coach Matt Roberts setting the record for most wins in program history with 221 victories.

The team has been highly ranked in singles and doubles, with Petar Jovanovic holding the No. 10 spot nationally and leading a pair of doubles teams ranked in the top 50. Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez, both seniors, are ITA Doubles All-Americans, and Jovanovic earned All-American honors in singles after reaching the NCAA quarterfinals.

Mississippi State’s program history is distinguished by 102 seasons and an all-time record of 1,119-646-8. The team has also set multiple school records this season, including the most wins in a single year, tying the 1979 team with 25 victories.

Historically, the Bulldogs lead the series against South Alabama 17-7, with the team winning the last six meetings. They are 13-4 against the Jaguars at home, all under head coach Matt Roberts.

For updates, fans can follow MSU men’s tennis on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram under the handle “HailStateMT” or visit HailState.com.

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