Thursday, March 16
Nashville, Tenn.
4:00 PM
Mississippi State
5
at
2
Vanderbilt
Mate Cutura and the Bulldogs defeat Commodores to continue win streak.
Singles Play Propels Bulldogs To 5-2 Win Over No. 34 Vanderbilt
March 16, 2017 | Men's Tennis
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Despite dropping the doubles point to begin Thursday's match, the 21st-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (12-3, 3-0 SEC) handled 34th-ranked Vanderbilt (9-8, 1-4 SEC) the Bulldogs grabbed five singles wins to earn a 5-2 victory over the homestanding Commodores.
The Bulldogs improved to 12-3 overall in the 5-2 win as State continued its eight-match winning streak. Due to low temperatures in the Nashville area, Thursday's match was played indoors.
"We were fortunate to get some practice time indoors in Nashville this week, so that helped today," head coach Matt Roberts said. "We have a team that can play both indoors and outdoors, so we weren't afraid of the challenge. When you move indoors the crowd is always louder, but our guys did a great job adjusting to that to earn the win."
Thursday's win secured MSU's first 3-0 start in SEC play since 2005. After the 5-2 win over the 34th-ranked Commodores, the Bulldogs have now defeated five ranked foes this season.
To begin action, Vandy edged out MSU in doubles play as the Commodores took two matches from the Bulldogs on courts one and three. Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic fell to Baker Newman and Daniel Valent 6-4, before No. 48 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey dropped a tough match to Billy Row and Lachian McPhee 7-5. With the point secured, Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter's match against their Commodore foes was suspended with the Bulldog pair leading 6-5.
The Maroon and White would move on quickly following the loss in doubles as the Bulldogs took five of the first six sets ins singles action. The domination was foreshadowing as MSU reeled off five-consecutive wins in singles play.
"The crowd was very loud today and our guys did a great job not letting the noise affect us in singles play," head coach Matt Roberts said. "We won a lot of deuce-deciding points which really shifted the momentum early."
With the Bulldogs imposing their will in singles, No. 4 Borges was the first to finish as the sophomore won 6-4, 6-4. The win for Borges improved his singles record to 22-4 overall and 10-1 in dual-match play. Cutura broke the 1-1 tie as the senior defeated Vandy's McPhee 6-4, 6-3 to earn his third-straight singles win.
Leading 2-1, MSU would get almost simultaneous victories on courts five, four and two as Giovanni Oradini, Braun and Rakic would build the Bulldog lead to 5-1. Oradini earned back-to-back tiebreaker wins to secure his match victory, while Braun and Rakic each earned a three-set win.
"Vanderbilt tried to mount a push, but our guys did a great job closing out the match," head coach Matt Roberts said. "It's always tough to win on the road in the SEC, especially in an environment like this. So I am very proud of how we competed and performed today and we're looking forward to our next opportunity to get better against Kentucky on Saturday."
With only five indoor courts, Foshey's match on court six would get a delayed start as the sophomore would be the lone match remaining following MSU taking a 5-1 lead. The Bulldog dropped his contest to Alex Ross, 6-1, 7-5.
Up Next
MSU continues is road swing against No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT, before capping its trio of ranked road matches against No. 46 Arkansas next Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs return home to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Saturday, March 25 as Ole Miss comes to town at 3 p.m. CT.
Additional Notes
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 21 Mississippi State 5, No. 34 Vanderbilt 2
Nashville, Tenn. – Currey Tennis Center (Indoors) – March 16, 2017
Doubles
1. Billy Rowe/Lachian McPhee (VU) def. No. 48 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 7-5
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) vs. Panu Virtanen/Pen Binet (VU) 6-5, suspended
3. Baker Newman/Daniel Valent (VU) def. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Daniel Valent (VU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Baker Newman (VU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
3. Mate Cutura (MSU) def. Lachian McPhee (VU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Billy Rowe (VU) 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2
5. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Panu Virtanen (VU) 7-6(6), 7-6(6)
6. Alex Ross (VU) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-1, 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 3, 5, 4, 2, 6
The Bulldogs improved to 12-3 overall in the 5-2 win as State continued its eight-match winning streak. Due to low temperatures in the Nashville area, Thursday's match was played indoors.
"We were fortunate to get some practice time indoors in Nashville this week, so that helped today," head coach Matt Roberts said. "We have a team that can play both indoors and outdoors, so we weren't afraid of the challenge. When you move indoors the crowd is always louder, but our guys did a great job adjusting to that to earn the win."
Thursday's win secured MSU's first 3-0 start in SEC play since 2005. After the 5-2 win over the 34th-ranked Commodores, the Bulldogs have now defeated five ranked foes this season.
To begin action, Vandy edged out MSU in doubles play as the Commodores took two matches from the Bulldogs on courts one and three. Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic fell to Baker Newman and Daniel Valent 6-4, before No. 48 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey dropped a tough match to Billy Row and Lachian McPhee 7-5. With the point secured, Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter's match against their Commodore foes was suspended with the Bulldog pair leading 6-5.
The Maroon and White would move on quickly following the loss in doubles as the Bulldogs took five of the first six sets ins singles action. The domination was foreshadowing as MSU reeled off five-consecutive wins in singles play.
"The crowd was very loud today and our guys did a great job not letting the noise affect us in singles play," head coach Matt Roberts said. "We won a lot of deuce-deciding points which really shifted the momentum early."
With the Bulldogs imposing their will in singles, No. 4 Borges was the first to finish as the sophomore won 6-4, 6-4. The win for Borges improved his singles record to 22-4 overall and 10-1 in dual-match play. Cutura broke the 1-1 tie as the senior defeated Vandy's McPhee 6-4, 6-3 to earn his third-straight singles win.
Leading 2-1, MSU would get almost simultaneous victories on courts five, four and two as Giovanni Oradini, Braun and Rakic would build the Bulldog lead to 5-1. Oradini earned back-to-back tiebreaker wins to secure his match victory, while Braun and Rakic each earned a three-set win.
"Vanderbilt tried to mount a push, but our guys did a great job closing out the match," head coach Matt Roberts said. "It's always tough to win on the road in the SEC, especially in an environment like this. So I am very proud of how we competed and performed today and we're looking forward to our next opportunity to get better against Kentucky on Saturday."
With only five indoor courts, Foshey's match on court six would get a delayed start as the sophomore would be the lone match remaining following MSU taking a 5-1 lead. The Bulldog dropped his contest to Alex Ross, 6-1, 7-5.
Up Next
MSU continues is road swing against No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT, before capping its trio of ranked road matches against No. 46 Arkansas next Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs return home to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Saturday, March 25 as Ole Miss comes to town at 3 p.m. CT.
Additional Notes
- MSU leads the all-time series against Vanderbilt 38-14
- The Bulldogs broke a two-match skid against the Commodores
- The 3-0 start in SEC play is MSU first since 2005
- State is now 5-2 against ranked foes this season
- MSU has won its last four matches indoors
- Seven Bulldogs are on winning streaks in singles play
- Giovanni Oradini and Nuno Borges are both 4-0 in road singles action
- Niclas Braun has won his last seven singles matches
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 21 Mississippi State 5, No. 34 Vanderbilt 2
Nashville, Tenn. – Currey Tennis Center (Indoors) – March 16, 2017
Doubles
1. Billy Rowe/Lachian McPhee (VU) def. No. 48 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 7-5
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) vs. Panu Virtanen/Pen Binet (VU) 6-5, suspended
3. Baker Newman/Daniel Valent (VU) def. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Daniel Valent (VU) 6-4, 6-4
2. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Baker Newman (VU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
3. Mate Cutura (MSU) def. Lachian McPhee (VU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Billy Rowe (VU) 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-2
5. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Panu Virtanen (VU) 7-6(6), 7-6(6)
6. Alex Ross (VU) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-1, 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 3, 5, 4, 2, 6
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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