Jan. 21, 2017
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State men's tennis dual match against 20th-ranked Mississippi State, originally scheduled for Sunday, has been moved up to a 3 p.m. PT start this afternoon at Aztec Tennis Center. Heavy rain forecast to hit the region on Sunday prompted the switch.
SDSU split its first two encounters of the 2017 campaign last weekend at Hawai'i, downing the host Rainbow Warriors by a 5-2 count, before suffering a 7-0 setback against UC Santa Barbara in a neutral-site clash.
Against UH, the Aztecs captured the doubles point and posted four victories in singles competition to secure their seventh consecutive season opener. Three freshmen logged their first-ever dual match wins, including Joel Popov (Tampere, Finland), Rafael Gonzalez Almazan (Madrid, Spain) and David Hough (Traralgon, Australia).
SDSU has faced Mississippi State on one previous occasion, dropping a narrow 4-3 decision at the 2001 National Team Indoor Championships in Seattle, Wash. The Bulldogs return five letterwinners from a team that posted an 18-9 record last season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, before falling to North Carolina in the round of 16.
The Aztecs are 3-7 against current members of the Southeastern Conference. SDSU last faced an SEC team on Feb. 20, 2015, when it registered a dominating 7-0 triumph over then-No. 21 South Carolina at home. Seniors Marko Goles-Babic (Zagreb, Croatia) and Milen Ianakiev (Elz, Hesse, Germany) are the lone holdovers from that squad, posting victories at No. 4 and 5 singles, respectively.
Following Saturday's tilt, SDSU will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 4, when it battles crosstown adversary San Diego at Aztec Tennis Center.