Mississippi State splits doubleheader with Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State women’s tennis split its doubleheader on Thursday, defeating Eastern Kentucky but dropping a match to No. 14 Tennessee, according to team officials.

The Bulldogs opened the day against Tennessee, winning the doubles point with victories on courts one and three. Chiara Di Genova and Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz started with a 6-4 win over Tennessee’s Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso. Athina Pitta and Mia Robinson sealed the doubles point with a 6-3 win over Maeve Thornton and Saray Yli-Piipari.

In singles, Tennessee responded by winning four matches to take the overall 4-2 victory. Mississippi State’s Athina Pitta secured a singles win for the Bulldogs, defeating Saray Yli-Piipari 7-6, 6-4.

Later in the day, Mississippi State defeated Eastern Kentucky, 4-0. The Bulldogs took the doubles point early and then earned three straight singles wins from Ntondele Zinga, Di Genova, and Carolina Troiano to complete the shutout.

Head coach Chris Hooshyar’s team remains undefeated in non-conference play during his tenure, holding a 29-3 record in such matches. The Bulldogs also improve to 25-7 in doubleheaders this season.

Next, the team will host Kentucky on Saturday at 1 p.m., with live stats available for the match.

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