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No. 9 MT Upsets No. 3 Mississippi State at ITA National Indoors

February 16, 2019
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CHICAGO, Ill. – No. 9 and 10th-seeded Baylor men’s tennis (9-1) bounced back and posted a 4-1 victory over third-ranked and No. 2 seed Mississippi State Saturday morning at Midtown Athletic Club in Chicago, Ill.

BU’s win over a top-three opponent is the first since the Bears topped No. 3 Virginia on Feb. 14, 2015 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships by a 4-3 fashion.

The Bears improve to 24-23 all-time at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships and are now 7-1 against Mississippi State all-time and extend a six-match win streak in the series.

The Bulldogs (6-2) got the early advantage after No. 6 Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini recorded a 6-2 win over Johannes Schretter and Will Little on court two. Then, Adrian Boitan and Matias Soto upended Trevor Foshey and Gregor Ramskogler, 6-2, at the No. 3 spot.

On court one, second-ranked Jimmy Bendeck and Sven Lah were up 5-3 and were pushed to the brink before coming away with a 7-6(5) win over No. 34 Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic at the top of the lineup to secure the doubles point.

Mississippi State then came back and tied it up at 1-1 after No. 5 Nuno Borges defeated 29th-ranked Schretter, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 1 spot.

The Bears took back the advantage with 28th-ranked Little’s 7-5, 6-3 victory over Strahinja Rakic on court three. Adrian Boitan then secured his first collegiate singles win and victory over a ranked opponent with a 6-4, 7-6(4) against No. 98 Trevor Foshey at the No. 5 spot.

Matias Soto clinched the match with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 triumph over No. 66 Giovanni Oradini on court two for the 4-1 Baylor win.

NOTABLES
• Baylor is now 24-23 all-time at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
• Baylor beat a top-three opponent for the first time since the Bears upended No. 3 Virginia on Feb. 14, 2015 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, winning 4-3.
• Baylor is now 3-1 against ranked opponents this season and 1-1 against top-10 opponents.
• In doubles, Jimmy Bendeck and Sven Lah improved to 16-1 overall and 5-0 in dual matches this season.
• Matias Soto took down his second ranked opponent this season and fourth in his career, upsetting No. 66 Giovanni Oradini in singles play.
• Adrian Boitan won his first collegiate singles match and upset his first ranked foe with his straight-set victory over No. 98 Trevor Foshey.
• Will Little improved to 15-3 overall and 7-0 in spring singles matches with today’s win.
• Baylor is now 8-2 in the doubles point and 8-0 when winning the opening point this season.
• Baylor improved to 7-1 all-time against the Bulldogs and extended its six-match winning streak in the series.

STAT OF THE MATCH
3 – the amount of ranked wins the Bears captured against Mississippi State.

TOP QUOTE
Head coach Brian Boland
On the win…

“I am really impressed with how well the team responded from a tough loss yesterday. The guys played a complete match from top to bottom, and winning the doubles point was impressive. We look forward to another great match tomorrow against Columbia.”

WHAT’S NEXT
The Bears conclude action at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships with a consolation match against No. 14 seed and 12th-ranked Columbia Sunday at 9 a.m. CT at Midtown Athletic Club.

Tags: Tennis, Baylor, 2019
 
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