Lady Bulldog Tennis Hits The Road For SEC Opening Weekend

STARKVILLE, Miss - Mississippi State's women's tennis squad opens SEC play as they travel east to face the 10^th ranked Commodores of Vanderbilt University. Match time is set for 2:30 p.m. CT at the Currey Tennis Center in Nashville, Tenn.

"We are excited to begin SEC competition this weekend," coach Daryl Greenan said. "The level is very high in our league and it will be a big challenge for our girls to pick up wins against SEC opponents. We have a young team and competing against some of the best teams in the country will be a good experience. We play Vanderbilt and Kentucky this weekend. Vandy is currently top 10 in the country so we will be the big underdog playing with nothing to lose. We played well and beat Kentucky last year and we hope to come out on top against the Wildcats again this Sunday."

MSU has been competed young in three singles spots this season. Freshman Alexandra Perper joined the team in January and hit the ground running. Her first match with the Lady Bulldogs was at the No. 1 spot against Tulsa and has permanently filled that position. Perper has compiled a 3-3 overall record on court 1 and hopes to continue her success against Vanderbilt.

Freshmen Roseline Dion and Vivian Pietraroia are also competing well for the Lady Bulldogs as they have successfully battled at the fourth, fifth and sixth positions. Pietraroia has marked a 3-2 record on court 6 for State as she went on a three match win streak over Georgia State, Southern Miss. and Troy.

Lady Bulldog junior Mariia Ryzhova is coming off a big three set thrilling win against Louisiana-Monroe last Sunday and is seeking to pick up big wins this weekend.

Also travelling this weekend are junior Olesya Tsigvintseva and sophomore Danielle Terpko. Terpko is just three wins away from her 20^th victory in singles play as a Lady Bulldog. Senior Elizabeth Hall is hoping to make an impact for the Lady Bulldogs where she has competed in the third spot of doubles play alongside Pietraroia this Spring.

Last season, the Lady Bulldogs went 0-2 against Vanderbilt as they lost 7-0 in the regular season and 4-0 at the SEC Tournament. Overall, the Commodores hold a 7-25 advantage between the two schools.

Following Friday's match in Nashville, MSU will travel to Lexington to take on the University of Kentucky on Sunday. Match time is set for 10:00 a.m. CT.

Live stats will be available at www.mstateathletics.com.