March 2, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn men's tennis team (9-5) visits No. 27 Mississippi State (6-1) Sunday at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, the opening SEC match of the spring season for both teams and the beginning of a stretch of seven consecutive matches against ranked opponents for the Tigers.
"SEC play is going to be brutal every single match we play, but we have unbelievable opportunities to play teams that are almost all going to be ranked ahead of us and to get those wins," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said.
"Men's tennis is about winning the service game and putting yourself in a position to win on the return game, creating points and finding opportunities. We're at a point in the season where, if we're doing the correct things we're supposed to and keeping the unforced errors to a minimum, we're going to be successful and win some of those matches. We have the availability of seven quality guys to play singles, which is a nice thing to have.
"Mississippi State is a strong team, nationally ranked in the Top 30, and one of the most energetic teams in the SEC. They have that energy whether they are winning or losing and that's the type of team we want to be. Because it's outdoors, the courts will be slower and windy, and the crowd will be with them. But they're not unbeatable, and this is a great opportunity for us to start the SEC season."
Auburn continues with SEC play at home next weekend, hosting No. 29 South Carolina on Friday at 6 p.m. and entertaining No. 18 Florida Sunday at 1 p.m. All Auburn home matches are held at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn), and admission is free.