No. 6 Mississippi State Hosts South Alabama, Alabama State in Saturday Doubleheader

STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 6 Mississippi State men’s tennis is set to play a doubleheader Saturday at the Rula Tennis Pavilion, welcoming South Alabama and Alabama State. The Bulldogs will look to extend their winning streak and improve to 8-0 for the season, the first time since 2014.

Mississippi State holds a 17-7 all-time record against South Alabama, including a 13-4 mark at home and a six-match winning streak in the series. The Bulldogs have defeated Alabama State in all seven meetings, each by shutout, and will aim to continue that dominance.

South Alabama started the season at .500, with wins over Southern University and Jackson State and losses to LSU and Florida Atlantic. Alabama State enters with a 2-3 record, with victories over The Citadel and Auburn University at Montgomery, and losses to Florida State, Samford, and Alabama.

The Bulldogs opened their season with four consecutive road wins before sweeping the ITA Kickoff Weekend at home against Santa Clara and Auburn. They are aiming to open 8-0 for the first time under head coach Matt Roberts.

Several Bulldogs are ranked nationally, led by Petar Jovanovic at No. 6 in singles. Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez are also ranked No. 6 in doubles and are the school’s winningest doubles pair. The team features four undefeated players in singles play.

Mississippi State is in its 102nd season, with a program record of 1,116 wins. Coach Roberts is close to becoming the winningest coach in school history, sitting just three wins behind the current record holder, Andy Jackson.

Follow MSU men’s tennis updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram under the handle “HailStateMT.”

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