Bulldogs To Host NCAA Championship First and Second Rounds

Mississippi State’s Men’s Tennis team will be hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Championships for the seventh time in program history and the third straight season.

In both of the past two seasons, the Bulldogs reached the Sweet 16. This year, they have their sights set on a national championship. The Starkville Regional consists of No. 1 seeded Mississippi State, No. 2 Michigan State, No. 3 North Alabama and No. 4 New Orleans.

State makes its 14th straight appearance in the NCAA Championships and 33rd overall in program history. The Bulldogs currently sit at a 22-5 record with a 11-3 record in SEC play, finishing second in the conference standings.

30th ranked Benito Sanchez Martinez and No. 65 Petar Jovanovic were named to first team All-SEC. The two also make up the top ranked doubles tandem in the entire country, grabbing the most ranked wins by a pair in the SEC. 106th ranked Niccolo Baroni was also named to second-team All-SEC and the SEC All-Freshman team.

Second-seeded Michigan State will open up tournament play in the Starkville Regional on Friday at 10 a.m. against third-seeded North Alabama. Afterwards, Mississippi State will face No. 4 seed New Orleans at 1 p.m. The winners of the two matches will compete for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Author administrator Kellen Walker