The Auburn University men’s tennis team was defeated 3-4 by Mississippi State, at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Center. The win improves Mississippi State’s overall record to 13-2 and conference record to 2-1. With the loss, Auburn now holds an 11-4 overall record and a 1-2 record in conference play.
Next, the Tigers will get a break from Southeastern Conference opponents and face No. 41 Tulane in New Orleans. That game is scheduled to start at noon CT at the City Park Tennis Center. The live score of the match will be available on ioncourt.com.
Auburn got off to a flying start as Finn Murgett and Raul Dobai jumped out to a 4-0 lead on field one. 33rd ranked Murgett and Dobai went on to upset Carles Hernandez and Nemanja Malesevic, the 26th ranked doubles team in the nation, by a score of 6-2. Jan Galka and Billy Blaydes were not far behind their teammates, as they defeated Petar Jovanovic and Patrick Lazo by equal scores on court two. The win gives Galka and Blaydes their best eight doubles wins together.
The singles did not start well for Auburn, as freshman Billy Blaydes was the only Tiger able to claim the first set. Blaydes went on to defeat Michal Novansky on court six in straight sets by a score of 6-4, 6-1 to earn his sixth straight singles victory. The Bulldogs then had two wins on courses four and five to tie the game at two and turn the momentum back in their direction. Auburn fought on as Stice and Murgett each forced a third set on courts one and two, respectively.
After losing his first set, freshman Alejandro Moreno and No. 89 Carles Hernandez had a tight second set that was forced into a tiebreaker. Moreno eventually lost the tiebreaker and the game by a score of 6-3, 7-6 (1). Now down 3-2, Auburn needed to win both of their remaining games on fields one and two to claim a team victory. Murgett was able to pick up his 16th singles win and ninth doubles singles win of the season by claiming the third set over Petar Jovanovic for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win to tie the match again.
In a winner-takes-all third set on court one, Stice nearly forced the tiebreaker but fell 7-5 in the third set. Mississippi State’s Malesevic won the closely contested game 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to claim the team win for the 4-3 Bulldogs.
About the Auburn University
Auburn is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest in the state.
Auburn University’s sports teams are known as the Tigers and compete in Division I-A of the NCAA and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Auburn has won 19 intercollegiate championships (including 17 NCAA championships), three of them in football (1913, 1957, 2010), 8 in men’s swimming and diving (1997, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 ), 5 in women’s swimming and diving (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007), 2 in equestrian (2008, 2011), and one in women’s track and field (2006). Auburn has also won a total of 70 Southeastern Conference titles, 51 men’s and 19 women’s. Auburn’s colors are orange and blue, chosen by George Petrie, the head coach of the college’s football team, inspired by the colors of his alma mater, the University of Virginia.
Auburn was founded on February 7, 1856 during the presidency of Franklin Pierce, as East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts school affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1872 the college became the first public university to benefit from the Morrill Act and was renamed the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama.
Photo credits: Auburn University website
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