Saturday, January 25
Durham, N.C.
9:00 AM
Mississippi State
vs
Tulsa
Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics
MSU Women’s Tennis Set For ITA Kick-Off Weekend At Duke
January 24, 2020 | Women's Tennis
by Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE – Looking to build on a successful opening weekend, the Mississippi State women's tennis team is set for its second road trip of 2020.
The Bulldogs (3-0) travel to Durham, North Carolina, to compete in the annual ITA Kick-Off Weekend held at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center on the Duke University campus. State opens the event against No. 3 seed Tulsa (5-0) on Saturday at 9 a.m. CT. On Sunday, MSU will face either host and fifth-ranked Duke (2-0) or Kansas State (1-0).
"We are excited to compete at the ITA Kick-Off Tournament," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "It is still early in the season but I feel like the girls picked up a little confidence going 3-0 last weekend. The competition will be stiff but the girls are ready."
The ITA Kick-Off Weekend is in its 12th season, with the Bulldogs having appeared in the last seven, including this weekend. MSU holds a 4-8 ledger in the event all-time. The winner from each of the 15 sites advances to the 2020 ITA National Team Indoor Championship to be held Feb. 7-10 in Chicago, Illinois.
Live Stats and Live Video will be provided, courtesy of Duke.
The Bulldogs hold a perfect 7-0 record in doubles and a 13-4 ledger in singles in dual match play thus far this spring. Rookies Marta Falceto and Alexandra Mikhailuk went undefeated in their collegiate debuts in singles action last weekend. Falceto paces the team with 10 wins overall and holds a four-match win streak dating back to the fall campaign, while Mikhailuk owns a team-high .692 win percentage.
State's roster features 84th-ranked sophomore Emma Antonaki, as well as two ranked doubles teams in No. 43 Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine and No. 45 Antonaki and Mikhailuk.
All three teams the Bulldogs will face this weekend have players ranked by the ITA. The Golden Hurricane of Tulsa – MSU's first foe - feature the reigning American Athletic Conference Women's Player of the Week in No. 52 Martina Okalova, as well as the 40th-ranked tandem of Okalova and Vera Ploner. The Wildcats boast the 54th-ranked duo of Margot Decker and Anna Turco as well.
Mississippi State recorded three consecutive victories to open the 2020 campaign last weekend (Jan. 17-19). State blanked Troy 7-0 Friday morning, before defeating Samford 5-2 in the nightcap, both on the SU campus. On Sunday, the Maroon and White posted a 5-2 triumph at Xavier in Cincinnati.
2020 ITA Kick-Off Weekend Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 25
9:00 a.m. CT – Mississippi State (3-0) vs. Tulsa (5-0)
not before 1 p.m. CT – No. 5 Duke (2-0) vs. Kansas State (1-0)
Sunday, Jan. 26
9 a.m. CT – Consolation match
not before 1 p.m. CT – Championship match
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
STARKVILLE – Looking to build on a successful opening weekend, the Mississippi State women's tennis team is set for its second road trip of 2020.
The Bulldogs (3-0) travel to Durham, North Carolina, to compete in the annual ITA Kick-Off Weekend held at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center on the Duke University campus. State opens the event against No. 3 seed Tulsa (5-0) on Saturday at 9 a.m. CT. On Sunday, MSU will face either host and fifth-ranked Duke (2-0) or Kansas State (1-0).
"We are excited to compete at the ITA Kick-Off Tournament," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "It is still early in the season but I feel like the girls picked up a little confidence going 3-0 last weekend. The competition will be stiff but the girls are ready."
The ITA Kick-Off Weekend is in its 12th season, with the Bulldogs having appeared in the last seven, including this weekend. MSU holds a 4-8 ledger in the event all-time. The winner from each of the 15 sites advances to the 2020 ITA National Team Indoor Championship to be held Feb. 7-10 in Chicago, Illinois.
Live Stats and Live Video will be provided, courtesy of Duke.
The Bulldogs hold a perfect 7-0 record in doubles and a 13-4 ledger in singles in dual match play thus far this spring. Rookies Marta Falceto and Alexandra Mikhailuk went undefeated in their collegiate debuts in singles action last weekend. Falceto paces the team with 10 wins overall and holds a four-match win streak dating back to the fall campaign, while Mikhailuk owns a team-high .692 win percentage.
State's roster features 84th-ranked sophomore Emma Antonaki, as well as two ranked doubles teams in No. 43 Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine and No. 45 Antonaki and Mikhailuk.
All three teams the Bulldogs will face this weekend have players ranked by the ITA. The Golden Hurricane of Tulsa – MSU's first foe - feature the reigning American Athletic Conference Women's Player of the Week in No. 52 Martina Okalova, as well as the 40th-ranked tandem of Okalova and Vera Ploner. The Wildcats boast the 54th-ranked duo of Margot Decker and Anna Turco as well.
Mississippi State recorded three consecutive victories to open the 2020 campaign last weekend (Jan. 17-19). State blanked Troy 7-0 Friday morning, before defeating Samford 5-2 in the nightcap, both on the SU campus. On Sunday, the Maroon and White posted a 5-2 triumph at Xavier in Cincinnati.
2020 ITA Kick-Off Weekend Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 25
9:00 a.m. CT – Mississippi State (3-0) vs. Tulsa (5-0)
not before 1 p.m. CT – No. 5 Duke (2-0) vs. Kansas State (1-0)
Sunday, Jan. 26
9 a.m. CT – Consolation match
not before 1 p.m. CT – Championship match
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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