Bulldogs Continue SEC Road Swing At No. 17 Kentucky Saturday

Saturday, March 18

Lexington, Ky.

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

Kentucky

Bulldogs go up against No. 17 Wildcats on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.

Bulldogs Continue SEC Road Swing At No. 17 Kentucky Saturday

March 17, 2017 | Men's Tennis

Live Stats

STARKVILLE, Miss. – After a convincing win in league play on Thursday against Vanderbilt, the 21st-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (12-3, 3-0 SEC) puts its unblemished Southeastern Conference record on the line as the Bulldogs travel to Lexington to face 17th-ranked Kentucky (12-6, 3-2 SEC) on Saturday.

First serve at the Boone Tennis Center is slated for 11 a.m. CT. Due to the potential threat of low temperatures in the Lexington area on Saturday, the contest could be moved indoors.

"We have a tough opponent on Saturday and our guys are excited for the challenge," head coach Matt Roberts said. "It's always tough to win in the SEC and Saturday will be no different. We're focused on the task ahead and we're looking forward to improving and getting better."

Last time out, the Bulldogs handled business against No. 34 Vanderbilt as the Maroon and White prevailed 5-2 on the road. In the victory the Bulldogs extended their eight-match win streak while also improving to 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since 2005. MSU received singles wins from No. 4 Nuno Borges, Strahinja Rakic, Mate Cutura, Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini, while Trevor Foshey dropped a tough contest to his Commodore foe for the only singles loss on the afternoon.

The Bulldogs will employ the same singles lineup on Saturday as MSU seeks to overpower UK. In doubles action, No. 48 Braun and Foshey will once again lead at the top with Cutura and Vaughn Hunter, along with Borges and Rakic rounding out the pack.

Who To Watch For MSU
Braun continued his hot streak on Thursday as the sophomore earned his eighth-straight win in singles play. Singles action as a whole has been a strong point for the Bulldogs this season as MSU has seven players currently on a winning streak in singles play. Despite only winning the doubles point once in SEC play, the Bulldogs have bounced back in all three matches to dominate singles.

Previewing The Wildcats
UK has moved up the rankings after earning 12 wins this season over a tough slate of foes. On Thursday, the Wildcats manhandled Auburn at home 6-1 as UK earned its third win in SEC play. UK has also been impressive in non-conference action as the Wildcats downed ranked Big Ten foes Illinois and Indiana on the road.

Who To Watch For Kentucky
The Wildcats have a trio of players ranked in singles action as No. 25 Ryotaro Matsumura, No. 28 William Bushamuka and No. 75 Nils Ellefsen lead the squad. UK also has a ranked representative in doubles as Beck Pennington and Enzo Wallart are No. 70 in the nation.

Up Next
After Saturday's contest in Lexington, the Bulldogs will prepare for another road match next Thursday against No. 46 Arkansas 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.

Live Video/Stats
No live video will be available for Saturday's match, but Kentucky will provide live stats. Fans can visit UKathletics.com or click here for the link.

Additional Notes